Insat-4B launch delayed

The eagerly awaited launch of Insat-4B satellite today was delayed by 24 hours due, to a technical snag in the launch pad of Ariane-5 at Kourou in French Guyana.

According to a statement posted by Indian Space Research Organisatio n (ISRO) on its official website, the satellite was scheduled for launch between 3:55 am and 4:28 am IST.

However, seven minutes before lift-off, an anomaly was detected in the water deluge system, used to reduce the acoustic levels for the safety of the launch pad.

"This anomaly could not be resolved within the launch window period. Hence, Arianespace decided to postpone the launch, which is now expected to take place in the early hours of March 12. The health of both, satellite and launch vehicle, is normal and they have been put in safe mode," the statement said.

As the second satellite in the Insat-4 series, Insat-4B is carrying 12 high power Ku-band (11-14 GHz) transponders and 12 C-band (4-6 GHz) transponders to augment the capacity for direct-to-home (DTH) television services and expanding the Insat capacity for other communication and broadcasting services.

Insat-4b is the thirteenth Indian satellite to use the European launcher for deployment in the geo-synchronous orbit.