File photo of ISRO engineers. (Reuters)
India's latest communication satellite GSAT-16 would be launched onboard Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana on December 5.
"GSAT 16 communication satellite would be launched onboard Ariane 5 from French Guiana in the early hours of December 4 (Dec 5 in Indian time). The exact time would be announced soon," a senior Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) official told PTI today.
GSAT-16 with a lift off mass of 3,150 kg will have a mission life of more than 12 years.
The spacecraft's commercial payload includes transponders in Ku and C-band and the satellite is aimed at further augmenting communication services in the country, the agency said.
GSAT-16 would be joined by its co-passenger - DIRECTV-14, which was built by SSL (Space Systems/Loral) for operator DIRECTV.
ISRO is also gearing up for the experimental launch of GSLV Mark III, through which the Indian national space agency intends to study ascent phase of the rocket as well as the recovery of a human capsule, after it lands in the sea.
GSLV Mark III is expected to be launched with the crew module in mid-December, ISRO officials said.
Designed as a three-stage vehicle, GSLV-Mk III is 42.4 m tall with a lift off weight of 630 tonnes.
The experimental flight would not launch a satellite and would be passive in the upper stage without the cryogenic stage, ISRO officials said.
The launch is also the first step towards India's ambitious future Human Space Flight proposal, they said.