Tech Shout!

Yesterday, while majority of Indians succumbed to Sunday siestas, India’s Space researchers were busy supervising the Insat-4CR satellite that was scheduled for an afternoon launch.

However, thing’s did not go as planned and after a two-hour delay due to a technical glitch, a 49-meter rocket carrying the Insat-4CR communication satellite blasted off from the Sriharikota space station located in South India at approximately 6.21 p.m.

According to the scientists at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the Insat-4CR that was transported onboard the 49m tall Geo Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV-F04 has been blasted into orbit.

In fact, around 18 minutes after lift-off, the GSLV-F04 rocket placed the Insat-4CR communication satellite into orbit.

Indian Space Research Organisation chief G. Madhavan Nair said, “It was a very nice take off with the evening skies so luminous and majestic and the thundering sound of the rocket.”

This very satellite- the Insat-4CR is expected to boost digital communications in India. Weighing 2130kg, the satellite is equipped with 12 wideband channels known as transponders. These transponders allow digital transmission on each one at the same time by several video and audio networks.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh congratulated Nair and his team. “The prime minister also expressed his confidence in ISRO and the other related space industries,” Nair said.

The launch of the Insat-4CR satellite was quite a reason to celebrate as the anxiety levels of everyone concerned was high ahead of the launch considering the fact that only a year ago, its predecessor was destroyed in under a minute soon after it lifted off.

“We had really gone through the mill. On one side, we had the anxiety coming form eth previous failure,” added Nair.

The launch of the Insat-4CR communications satellite cost ISRO the equivalent of 100 million dollars.

Nair also said that Indian rockets were “as reliable as any other launch vehicle in eth world”. He also confirmed that ISO is getting inquiries from foreign customers.

A Bangalore-based spokesman fro ISRO said that the newly launched satellite is vital for India’s increasing volumes of fax and Internet traffic, television and video services.

The spokesman said, “The high-powered satellite will augment the country’s communication capacity and help meet increasing demand.”