Sunday, November 5 12:38 AM SGT

India's rescues key telecom satellite after space glitch

BANGALORE, India, Nov 4 (AFP) -

Indian space scientists "rescued" Saturday their INSAT 2B satellite, which supports the country's telecommunications and broadcast sectors, after it shut down in space following a technical hitch.

S. Krishnamurthy, the spokesman of the Indian Space research Organisation (ISRO), said INSAT 2B was declared operational by engineers manning an earth station in the district of Hassan in coastal Andhra Pradesh state.

"All payloads on board the satellite have been switched on and the services restored," the ISRO spokesman said in Bangalore.

Krishnamurthy said the condition of the seven-year-old satellite, which was rescued around 6:30 pm (1300 GMT), was being "closely monitored."

The satellite Friday lost contact with its earth stations in India.

Its functions were shut down as a change in the direction of INSAT 2B meant its solar panels did not face the sun and could not charge the power supply batteries.

The malfunction sent ISRO engineers in search of other satellites to tide over the shut-down crisis.

The INSAT 2B is one of seven in the INSAT series that are the mainstay of India's telecommunications, broadcasting and meteorological functions.

http://asia.dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/technology/afp/article.html?s=asia/headlines/001105/technology/afp/India_s_rescues_key_telecom_satellite_after_space_glitch.html

-- Carl Jenkins (somewherepress@aol.com), November 04, 2000