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India's GSAT-16 reaches French Guiana for launch by Ariane 5 in early December [Emirates News Agency (WAM) (United Arab Emirates)]
[October 25, 2014]

India's GSAT-16 reaches French Guiana for launch by Ariane 5 in early December [Emirates News Agency (WAM) (United Arab Emirates)]


(Emirates News Agency (WAM) (United Arab Emirates) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) India's communication satellite GSAT-16, that will be a co-passenger on the sixth Ariane 5 mission scheduled for early December, reached Arianespace's spaceport at Korou in French Guiana earlier this week, the European commercial satellite launch company said. A press release from Arianespace said the satellite reached the Félix Eboué International Airport near the capital city of Cayenne by a chartered cargo aircraft. From there, it was transferred by road to the spaceport. Designed, assembled and integrated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), GSAT-16 – which will weigh approximately 3,150 kg. at liftoff – is meant to deliver C- and Ku-band telecommunications services that include very small aperture terminal (VSAT) transmissions, TV broadcasting and emergency communications. GSAT-16's co-passenger on the Arianespace mission – DIRECTV-14, built by SSL (Space Systems/Loral) for operator DIRECTV – arrived in French Guiana earlier this month and is being readied for launch at the spaceport. Ariane 5's early December flight is designated VA221 in Arianespace's numbering system for its family of launchers, which also includes the medium-lift Soyuz and light-lift Vega, the release added. According to ISRO, GSAT-16 is a communication satellite configured around I-3K extended bus with a lift off mass of 3150 kg and 6500 W power generation capacity with mission life of more than 12 years. The spacecraft's commercial payload includes transponders in Ku and C-band. GSAT-16 is aimed at further augmenting communication services in the country, it said.



In November last year, Arianespace had said ISRO had chosen it to launch its GSAT-15 and GSAT-16 telecommunication satellites. GSAT-15 will also ahve lift-off weight of 3150 kg and 6500 W power generation capacity. Its commercial payload will include Ku-Band transponders and a two-channel GAGAN payload. On August 30 last year, Arianespace's Ariane 5-VA 215 launch vehicle had launched India's first dedicated maritime communications satellite, GSAT-7, which will have defence applications also. ISRO has a long history of launching payloads with Arianespace – dating back to the third mission of an Ariane-series vehicle in 1981. Arianespace has so far launched 17 satellites for ISRO, including INSAT-3D, which was a co-passenger on Ariane Flight VA214 in July last year.

(c) 2014 Emirates News Agency (WAM) Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).

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