BY : Dailyindia

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is scheduled to launch its communication satellite INSAT- 4CR as a replacement to INSAT-4C which was reduced to debris during its unsuccessful launch last year.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman G Madhavan Nair told reporters here this week that the replacement satellite would be launched in September 2007.

President APJ Abdul Kalam will dedicate the recently launched latest communications satellite 4B to the nation on June 8, Nair added.

Regarding the Chandrayana the lunar mission project, Nair said the space vehicle is being built at ISRO and the project is progressing.

He further said that the Edusat programme was successful with over 20,000 schools in the country benefiting.

EDUSAT launched in 2004 is being exclusively used for interactive classroom lessons. Over 10,000 classrooms have been networked using the satellite.

The INSAT- 4C satellite had failed to reach orbit due to a launch vehicle malfunction.

INSAT-4CR is identical to INSAT-4C with 10/12 Ku-band transponders. Some of the transponders of INSAT-4CR are for Direct to Home Services (DTH) and others for Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) and High Bit Rate Data Transfer Services.

ISRO is also planning to augment the present INSAT system capacity of 200 transponders to 500 in the next five years. This would depend on the projected needs.

In the immediate future, a total of seven satellites are planned in the INSAT-4 series of which two satellites, INSAT-4A and INSAT-4B have already been launched.

The remaining satellites are slated for launch before 2010-11.

During the 11th five-year plan (2007-12), the transponder capacity will be increased to 500.