Press Trust of India reported late Sunday that the two-ton INSAT-4A satellite was in the final phases of the launch sequence that will culminate Thursday with the bird lifting off aboard an Ariane-5 rocket.
Once in place, the satellite will serve the Indian subcontinent with a dozen C-band transponders and another 12-Ku transponders that will provide television service under contract with Tata Sky.
INSAT-4A, the first of seven in the INSAT-4 series, has a projected 12-year life and weighs in at more than 4,500 pounds.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International
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