Isro Postpones Launch of India's G-SAT 16 Communication Satellite

The launch of Indian communication satellite G-SAT 16 from French Guiana atop the European Ariane rocket has been postponed owing to inclement weather, an Indian space agency official said Friday.

According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) official, the launch of the G-SAT 16 scheduled for Friday at 2.08pm IST from Kourou, French Guiana, was postponed due to bad weather.

Isro did not announce a new launch date.

Weighing 3,181.6kg, the G-SAT 16 carries 48 transponders-automatic receivers and transmitters for communication and broadcast of signals, and has a lifespan of around 12 years,

India uses Ariane rockets to put its heavy communication satellites in geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) as it does not have a rocket to carry a three-ton satellite.

Isro is developing one such rocket called the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mark III.