ISRO to launch French satellite

Chennai, April 3 (IANS) India will launch an advanced French remote sensing satellite, SPOT 6, with its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket later this year, a statement said Tuesday.

"A commercial Launch Services Agreement between Antrix Corporation Limited (Antrix), the commercial arm of ISRO, and Astrium SAS, a company under EADS, France, has been signed recently,"

said the state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in the statement

Under the agreement, SPOT 6, weighing nearly 800 kg amd built by Astrium SAS, will be launched on-board PSLV during the second half of 2012.

"Along with SPOT 6 satellite, the PSLV, in its 'core alone' configuration, will also carry other co-passenger payloads," ISRO said.

The agreement between ANTRIX and Astrium is a part of the long term pact signed between the two agencies in September 2008.

In November 2010, an advanced communication satellite, HYLAS, was successfully built by ISRO and Astrium together for an European customer under a commercial contract between the two agencies.

In the coming days, further collaboration possibilities between Antrix/ISRO and Astrium would be explored, the Indian space agency added.

Meanwhile, INSAT-2E the last of the INSAT-2 series of communication satellites of ISRO completed its 13-year mission life, said ISRO.

According to ISRO the satellite was built with a planned mission life of 12 years.