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

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.