Bangalore: India's next generation communication satellite INSAT-3E will be shipped to the European Space Agency launch pad at Korou in the middle of July, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) sources said.

"The satellite integration is getting completed and some tests are to be done...we expect it to be shipped in the next 10 to 12 days," ISRO sources said.

ISRO chairman Dr K Kasturirangan has said that the launch of the satellite by an Ariane rocket was slated during the last week of August.

The European space agency, Arianespace, will use the heavier Ariane 5 rocket to launch INSAT-3E from the spaceport in Korou at French Guyana in South America.

INSAT-3E will carry 36 transponders including 24 C-band and 12 extended C-band transponders as payload.

The fourth in the INSAT-3 series, the satellite is expected to bridge the gap in demand for transponders by private satellite television broadcasters, VSAT operators, telecom firms and government agencies.

PTI