India's latest INSAT satellite blasts into orbit

After a delay of two hours, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), carrying India's latest communication satellite INSAT-4CR, blasted off at 1821 IST from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here today.

INSAT-4CR carries 12 high-power Ku-band transponders designed to provide direct-to-home television services, video picture transmission and digital satellite news gathering.

The 49-metre tall GSLV will put the satellite into the predetermined Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), 16 minutes and 40 seconds after lift off.

The GSLV-FO4 is the fifth in the GSLV series.

The satellite will subsequently be manoeuvred into geostationary (fixed in respect to the earth) orbit using its propulsion system.

Earlier, the launch scheduled to take place at 1621 IST was "stopped" three seconds before blast off from due to a "technical snag in parameters related to launch," ISRO sources said.

Just as media personnel waited with bated breath to watch the lift off came the news that it had been deferred by 50 minutes.

It was then announced that the blast off would be rescheduled for 1720 IST. It was later deferred to 1810 IST and then to 1820 IST.