India’s heaviest satellite has been launched successfully by an European Ariane-5 rocket from French Guiana, the Indian Space Research Organisation announced Thursday
The rocket launched late Wednesday placed the INSAT-4 satellite along with a European meteorological satellite, EUMETSAT, into orbit about 30 minutes after lift-off, the organisation said in a statement.
It said the satellite, weighing 3,080 kilograms (6,776-pounds), would meet the needs of direct-to-home broadcasters and communication services.
“The master control facility acquired the first signals from the satellite. Initial checks indicated normal health of the satellite,” the statement said.
“When the satellite reaches near geosynchronous orbit, deployment of its solar panels will be carried out…and this will be followed by trim manoeuvres to take the satellite to the designated orbital slot.”
India has the world’s biggest civilian cluster of remote sensing satellites.
