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.
