The Indian Space Research Organisation‘s (ISRO) latest multi-purpose geostationary satellite, Insat 3C, has been successfully maneuvered to move it into geo-stationary orbit. The satellite will be ready for use by month-end, Isro chairman K Kasturirangan, has been quoted as saying, with 30 more transponders being added to the capacity.

The first manoeuvre was carried out on 25 January that raised the orbit from 570 km to 9,350 km. The second manoeuvre was carried out on 26 January to raise the orbit to 18,340 km while the third was carried out on 28 January raising the orbit to 32,448 km. The last manoeuvre was on 30 January bringing the satellite to near geo-stationary orbit. The satellite is currently at 63 deg East longitude and drifting at 2 deg per day towards its designated orbital slot at 74 deg East longitude.

Meanwhile, the deployment of Insat-SC‘s appendages was completed on 31 January 31. First the solar array on the south side of the satellite was deployed followed by the deployment of the antenna on the west side at 10:35 am.. The solar array on the north side of the satellite was deployed at 11:47 am and finally the antenna on the east side was deployed at 12:21 pm. Insat-3C has since been put in its final three axis stabilised mode on 1 February.

All the systems of Insat-3C have been performing as per predictions. The satellite has 488 kg fuel left on board which will be sufficient for its design life of 12 years, an official Isro statement says.

No pay no gain. That could well sum up the general sentiment in the industry that in the long run it is only the pay mode that is viable.

Subrata Roy Sahara, managing worker & chairman, Sahara India Pariwar, announced today that Sahara TV would be relaunched in May after a total revamp as a fully encrypted free to air channel. But hinting at a long term plan, Roy said that he saw two revenue streams - advertising and subscription - as the only way a channel could sustain itself in the long term. This appears to indicate that the channel will ultimately become a pay channel.

On the question of whether Sahara would join a bigger platform as a distribution strategy, Roy ruled it out as an option. His argument being that once the bouquet of 38 news channels are launched, the bouquet would be strong enough in itself.

Roy said that there were no plans to uplink from India at this stage and added that Asiasat would continue to be Sahara‘s satellite partner.

Roy made these comments on the sidelines of a major media briefing in Lucknow announcing the group‘s plans for a massive expansion in print media. Among the initiatives that Sahara will be undertaking are:

i) A 60-page weekly Hindi news magazine in broadsheet that would have 32 editions spanning the whole Hindi speaking belt.
ii) An English news magazine that will have three editions - Delhi, Mumbai and an all-India one.
iii) Sahara‘s Urdu daily, Urdu Rozana will have five new editions published out of Mumbai, Patna, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Kharagpur.
iv) A weekly Urdu magazine that would be published out of New Delhi as well as an international edition.

On the issue of the entry of foreign media into the print sector, Roy echoed the line the dominant print media houses have been flogging - that it should not be allowed under any circumstances.

Meanwhile, Netaji, Sahara‘s first foray into the movie business - a project focussing on the life and work of freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose - will be seeing a major expansion in its budget, Roy announced.

Netaji was originally envisaged as a Rs 100 million project, that would comprise a five-hour teleseries besides a three-hour feature film. Roy said the scale on which this movie would be made has considerably expanded but would not go into the actual costing. The film is slated for worldwide theatrical release in January 2003.