India's latest communication satellite INSAT-4C would be launched by a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, on Monday.
The GSLV would lift off with the 2168 kg INSAT-4C, the heaviest in its class, at 4 pm on Monday, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman G Madhavan Nair said at the airport on Saturday night.
"The preparations for the launch are going on satisfactorily. A rehearsal was held and the results were good", he said on arrival enroute to Sriharikota.
This is the first launch of the GSLV from the Rs 350 crore state-of-the-art launch pad commissioned in May 2005.
The 49-metre-tall, 414 tonne GSLV is a three stage vehicle. The first stage, GS1, comprises a core motor with 138 tonne of solid propellants and four strap-on motors, each with 42 tonnes of hypergolic liquid propellant.
The second stage has 39 tonne of the same hypergolic liquid propellant. The third (GS3) is a cryogenic stage with 12.6 tonne of liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen (LH2).
INSAT 4C, the second satellite in the INSAT 4 series, would give a boost to Direct-to-Home television services, video picture transmission and digital satellite news gathering. It will also provide space for National Informatics Centre's VSAT connectivity.
The satellite is designed for a mission life of 10 years.
{{/usCountry}}The satellite is designed for a mission life of 10 years.
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