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Preparations on for launch of INSAT3B tomorrow

Ranvir Nayar in Paris

As preparations are under way for the launch of INSAT3B at the Ariane launch base at Korou in French Guyana, nearly 20,000 km away, the Indian telecommunications industry is saying silent prayers for the success of this crucial satellite.

INSAT3B is scheduled for launch at 0427 IST on Wednesday, March 22, aboard Ariane505, the new heavylift launcher developed recently by Arianespace. On the success of this satellite depends the expansion of the Indian telecommunications industry.

Weighing nearly 2,100 kg, INSAT3B is the latest Indian multipurpose satellite developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation. The satellite is being launched to replace INSAT2D, whose failure three years ago led to a severe capacity crunch in the Indian telecommunications industry, forcing India to lease capacities on international satellite networks like INTELSAT.

The situation has become even more critical after the partial failure of INSAT2E, launched last April from Korou. With the failure of the powerbus of INSAT-2D in 1998 ISRO had been under tremendous pressure to deliver a new satellite to replace 2D.

The 2A, 2B and 2C are all expected to be decommissioned later this year and India badly needs additional capacity in space to replace the outgoing capacities of these satellites.

"The country's demands are already outstripping supply. Even with the full deployment of the entire INSAT 3 series, which we expect to complete by 2002, there will not be even a 10 per cent buffer capacity, something that is far lower than internationally accepted standards," ISRO Chairman Dr K Kasturirangan told rediff.com

With a fully functional INSAT2E, the total availability of transponders would have been about 65. The demand by next year is expected to be almost double, at 135. If INSAT3B is deployed successfully, the total capacity will go up to 75, forcing Indian users to lease capacities on other international satellite networks.

INSAT3B is armed with 12 extended C-band transponders, an S band transponder for mobile satellite telephony services and 3 KU band transponders for the broadcast industry.

Arianespace officials told rediff.com in Paris that the launch preparations are going on as per schedule. The filling operations began on February 22 and the two satellites – INSAT3B and its copassenger Asiastar – were hoisted up and placed under the two fairings in Ariane5 on March 9.

The INSAT launch, earlier slated for March 14, was delayed as its co-passenger was not ready. An ISRO team led by Dr Kasturirangan is already in Korou, supervising the final preparations for the launch.

INSAT3B is the seventh Indian satellite to be launched by Arianespace -- the first being APPLE (Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment) launched in June 1981 from Korou. Arianespace is the world's largest satellite launcher, with nearly 60 per cent of the world market.

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