Hassan (Karnataka): India's latest communication satellite INSAT-3E, launched last week, is expected to reach its designated space home on October 10 and be operational by the end of October, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman G Madhavan Nair said on October 2.

"It is expected to be operational by the end of this month," Nair told visiting reporters at the ISRO Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan, from where the satellite is being tracked and monitored.

Stating that INSAT-3E, launched on September 28 by an Ariane 5 rocket by Arianespace from the spaceport of Kourou in South America, was performing well, he said, the satellite with 36 transponders carried one third of ISRO's transponder capacity and would "enhance the capacity to cater to domestic and international customers".

Nair said the third and final stage of orbit-raising operation of the satellite, with a lifespan of 12 years, was conducted on October 1 and is expected to reach its orbital slot of 55 degree East Longitude in the next 10 days.

"The communication payloads will be switched on after reaching the orbital slot, and in-orbit testing of the payloads will be carried out for a duration of three weeks.

INSAT-3E is expected to be ready for service by first week of November," he said.

The cost of the satellite is Rs 250 crore, Nair said, adding the launch cost to ISRO is Rs 310 crore with an addition of Rs 60 crore on insurance premium.

ISRO's next mission is the IRS-P6 (RESOURCESAT) satellite slated for launch by the indigenous rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in third week of October, Nair said.

Meanwhile, ISRO Satellite Centre Director P S Goel said ISRO is gearing up to launch four satellites and three launch vehicles by the end of 2004 to cater to a huge demand for its transponder capacity and services.

"During the first half, the indigenous Geo-sychronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) will put in space GSAT-3 which will have unique transponders dedicated for tele-education and IRS-P5 (Cartosat) with a 2.5 metre stereoscopic capability," Goel told reporters at the Master Control Facility in Hassan.

"The IRS-P5 has no equivalent in the world and IRS-P6 would provide us an unique capability in remote sensing and is being eagerly awaited," Goel said.

He said that ISRO would launch in the later half of next year, the INSAT-4A communication satellite, with a high power Ku band capability for direct to home (DTH) TV service covering the country.

"This is the real spacecraft for DTH operations. We have also doubled the power capability (3.2 KW to 6 KW)," Goel said, adding the ISRO was also building the Spacecraft Recovery Experiment (SRE) capsule.

PTI