PM Modi's ambitious 'South Asia' satellite GSAT-9: Here's all you need to know

India will on Friday, May 5, launch a geo-stationary satellite named GSAT-9 that will help the entire South Asian region, barring Pakistan, by boost the telecommunication infrastructure. Read to know more.

South Asian satellite — The fully integrated GSLV-F09 carrying GSAT-9 at the second launch pad.ISRO official website

India is all set to launch a South Asian telecommunication satellite on board the rocket GSAT-F09 at around 5 pm on Friday, May 5, from Sriharikota off the Andhra Pradesh coast.

The satellite, codenamed GSAT-9, is also being called the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) sattellite. It is expected to boost the telecommunication infrastrcture in the South Asian region.

Also Read: South Asian telecommunication satellite GSAT-9 launched from Sriharikota

Built within three years at a cost of Rs 235 crore, the satellite has been described by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an "invaluable gift" in the April 2017 edition of his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio address to the nation.

He has said about the satellite: "Natural resources mapping, tele medicine, the field of education, deeper IT connectivity or fostering people to people contact — this satellite will prove to be a boon in the progress of the entire region."

Interestingly, the project involving the construction and launch of this satellite, which has a total cost of about Rs 450 crore, does not include Pakistan because it did not participate in the project. It includes Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Maldives as of now, with Afghanistan slated to join the project later.

The launch of the satellite on GSAT-F09 is expected to take place at exactly 4:57 pm, and a 28-hour countdown for it began on Thursday, May 4, at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikotta. It is said to be progressing smoothly.

The geo-stationary satellite, which will weigh 2,230 kg at lift-off, has 12 Ku-band transponders that South Asian countries are expected to utilise for their own needs. The mission life of the satellite is said to be 12 years, but it has been designed to last well beyond that deadline.

Each participating country will be able to access to at least one transponder. The sattelite is expected to help the countries in areas like "mapping of natural resources, tele-medicine, education, IT connectivity and people-to-people links".

The launch of the satellite from Sriharikota at 4:57 pm is expected to be telecast live on several news channels. This includes DD News, the national news channel. You can watch the telecast live on the internet itself. Just tune in here: