Power supply snag hits Indian communication satellite

Scientists of the Indian space agency are working to fix a power snag that switched off 12 transponders of the INSAT-4B comunication satellite Wednesday night, affecting services of some television channels and telecom operators.

“An expert team is looking at the possibilities of partial utilisation of some of the transponders that were switched off. The team is working to restore the services at the earliest,” S. Satish, director (Publications and Public Relations), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said from Bangalore over phone.

There was a power supply anomaly in one of the satellite’s two solar panels and six Ku Band and six C-Band transponders of the satellite got switched off, Satish said.

He said ISRO is working out contingency measures so that the transponder leasees- television channels and telecom operators- are not affected.

“ISRO has 209 transponders under its INSAT satellite family and we are looking at the possibility of transferring INSAT-4B clients whose services are affected,” he added.

The INSAT-4B carries a total of 24 communication transponders (12 Ku-Band and 12 C-Band) and has been in operation since March 2007.

The three-tonne satellite was launched by Ariane5 rocket from French Guyana in 2007 with a mission life of 12 years.