New Delhi: The launch of India's latest communication satellite GSAT-16 has been deferred for the second time in a week's time. It was scheduled to be launched early on Saturday from Kourou in French Guiana.
In the earlier occasion, ISRO had on Thursday night announced that the satellite's Friday launch was deferred to a later date.
GSAT-16 is designed to augment the national space capacity in communication services. Facing capacity crunch, ISRO has leased 95 transponders on foreign satellites mainly for the use of private TV broadcasters.
The satellite will boost public and private TV and radio services, large-scale Internet and telephone operations. In the dual satellite mission, along with GSAT-16, DIRECTV-14, which was built by SSL (Space Systems/Loral) for operator DIRECTV to provide direct-to-home television broadcasts across the US, is also being launched.
With lift-off mass of 3,181 kg, GSAT-16 is configured to carry a total of 48 communication transponders, the largest number of transponders carried by a communication satellite developed by the ISRO so far.
GSAT-16, which would replace INSAT-3E, decommissioned prematurely in April, has a designated on orbit operational life of 12 years. It will be the 18th satellite to be launched by Arianespace for ISRO.
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