By Amnon Barzilai
19/04/2001
Launch of the Indian communication satellite yesterday.
India has successfully launched the largest communication satellite it has developed so far, weighing about 1.5 tons. The satellite was launched using a huge satellite launcher, which was also developed and manufactured in India. The launcher weighs 400 tons and is about 50 m long.
Last month, a similar launch failed due to a technical fault. The announcement by the Indian Space Agency said that with the successful launch, the way was paved for India to join the exclusive club of a small group of countries that are capable of launching large satellites deep into space.
Yesterday, professional officials expressed great appreciation for the Indian experiment and its ability to place a communication satellite in orbit at a distance of 36-30 km from the Earth. So far, India has had the ability to develop communication satellites. And there are 4-3 satellites made in India in space.
The Israeli Aerospace Industry has also developed a communications satellite ("Amos") that is stationed in space. The Israeli satellite is slightly smaller than the Indian satellite. However, Israel did not develop, due to financial considerations, a launcher for communication satellites. The Israeli satellite was launched using the French Ariane satellite launcher.
India: Launch of first rocket into space planned for April
For April 18 as of now
7/4/2001
The Indian Space Agency announced today that it plans to launch its first rocket on April 18. A previous launch attempt failed due to technical problems. The launch will take place in Sriharikota, on the southern coast of India near Bengal.
India's goal is to independently create and launch satellites for communication purposes, thus saving the costs of buying and renting these satellites from foreign companies.
It should be noted that India has an advantage in that its southern parts are very close to the equator. This fact has an advantage in launching communication satellites that are intended to be placed at an altitude of 36 thousand kilometers above the equator.
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