MUMBAI: The countdown clock is ticking away. Come 5:30 pm IST, the evening of 5 May, and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will have added another feather to its cap as  its indigenously developed satellite GSAT-9 lifts off from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota  for its journey into geosynchronous orbit  as a payload on the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk II (GSLV-F09).

The cost of the launch is estimated at around Rs 450 crore (USD 70 million)

Labeled South Asia Sat, the 2,230 kg weighing satellite boasts 12 Ku-band transponders that will result in a swelling of capacity for India’s DTH television operators  and facilitate TV signal distribution  for its neighbors Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal (members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation - SAARC).  

The satellite also carries India’s fourth GPS aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) payload that delivers correction signals for aircraft navigation systems to increase navigation accuracy to three meters, assisting in air traffic management and landing in tough weather and challenging terrain.

GSAT 9 will be located at 48 degrees east and has a scheduled mission life of around 12  years.

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