ISRO to launch French remote sensing satellite

4 April, 2012 The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) will launch a French advanced remote sensing satellite in a few months. Sources said Isro’s commercial arm, Antrix Corporation, signed a Rs 100 crore deal to launch the 800kg satellite, SPOT 6, built by Astrium SAS, a subsidiary of France’s EADS. It will be launched by Isro’s polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV). “A commercial launch services agreement between Antrix and EADS was signed recently,” said an Isro release.

The PSLV will carry other payloads along with SPOT 6. The arrangement is part of a contract signed by the two agencies in September 2008.

In November 2010, Isro and Astrium together built an advanced communication satellite, HYLAS, for a European customer. Isro said it is looking forward to further collaborations with Astrium.

Isro also announced the completion of the mission life of INSAT-2E, the last of the five satellites in the INSAT-2 series. The satellite was built with a planned mission life of 12 years and the release said it functioned beyond this. The satellite, which was mainly for communication services, also carried a very high resolution radiometer and a charge coupled device camera for meteorological observation. INSAT-2E was controlled from the Isro facility at Hassan.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-04-04/chennai/31287014_1_high-resolution-radiometer-antrix-corporation-insat-2