Final countdown operations for Arianespace’s first mission of 2002 are now underway following the launch readiness review, which was conducted today at the Spaceport.
The review verified the “go” status of the Ariane 4 vehicle, its INSAT-3C satellite payload, the launch infrastructure at the Guiana Space Center, and the downrange tracking stations that will follow the mission’s trajectory.
Liftoff of Flight 147 is set for the evening of January 23 in a 1-hour 6-minute launch window that opens at 7:53 p.m. (local French Guiana time).
Flight 147 will use an Ariane 42L version of the Ariane 4 launcher family, which is equipped with two liquid strap-on boosters added to the first stage for additional thrust during liftoff and initial ascent.
INSAT-3C was developed and assembled by the Indian Space Research Organisation, and will be placed at an orbital position of 74 deg. East (over the Indian Ocean).
It will provide telecommunications and TV coverage over the Indian subcontinent via 30 C band transponders, 2 S-band transponders and a transponder dedicated to mobile communications services.
The INSAT-3C spacecraft will be the eighth Indian satellite orbited by Ariane launchers.
The long-standing relationship between Arianespace and the Indian Space Research Organisation, which dates back to Ariane launch in June 1981 when the first Indian satellite, Apple.
