Insat-2c Transponder Collapses

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) may soon be forced to lease foreign transponders following the collapse of a communication C-band transponder on the Insat-2C satellite.

The transponder problem could manifest itself into a serious malady that could affect the whole satellite within the next month or so, said an official source in one of Isros user agencies. Several V-Sat (Very Small Aperture Terminal) operators, telecom and television services are hooked on to the 2Cs 18 transponders.

Coming barely a month after the failure of the Insat-2D, which had prevented the National Stock Exchange from functioning for days, the Insat-2C problem has hit telecom services in some far-flung districts in the Northeast, Andhra Pradesh and Andaman Islands.

Alternate arrangements are being worked out, said an Isro spokesman in Bangalore when asked if the organisation would lease foreign transponders.

He added that a decision on taking transponders on foreign satellites would have to be taken by the Insat Coordination Committee (ICC), which consists of representatives of Isro, the department of telecom, and the ministries of information & broadcasting and finance

The Isro spokesman said, Sufficient redundancy (back-up) has been built into the satellite so the failure of one transponder will not affect the users. Already, DoT services have been shifted to other transponders.

However, the official source said, V-sat services on the 2C have experienced intermittent problems since the past two days. The link has stabilised somewhat from this morning and we are hoping for the best.