INSAT-4B launched succesfully

India's latest telecommunication satellite INSAT-4B was today successfully launched by the European Ariane 5 rocket from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana.

INSAT-4B, that would give a big boost to Direct-to-Home (DTH) TV services and augment the INSAT system, was injected into space within minutes after it's co-passenger Skynet 5A military communication satellite for the British Ministry of Defence was placed in orbit.

Within minutes after the launch, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s Master Control Facility at Hassan in Karnataka took control of INSAT-4B.

"I have information from MCF that signals received from the satellite are extremely good. We believe that in the next few days, we should be able to raise the orbit to the synchronous heights of 36,000 kms," ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said in his post-launch remarks at Kourou.

A technical hitch had delayed by a day the launch of INSAT-4B and Skynet 5A by the heavylift Ariane 5 rocket with the mission put on hold seven minutes before the scheduled blast-off yesterday.

Describing the launch as "precise", Nair said Ariane had once again proved that they could do the job "on the dot and give orbit with a textbook precision".

Nair thanked the team members who worked in the last 24 hours to remove the operational anamoly at the launch pad.