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INSAT 2B shut down after technical snag
INSAT 2B satellite, which supports the country's
telecommunications and broadcast sectors was shut down after a technical hitch,
the state-run space research agency said on Saturday. S Krishnamurthy,
spokesman, for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said the INSAT 2B
satellite "had lost its earth-lock" on Friday.
Krishnamurthy explained that the loss of earth-lock meant that the direction of the satellite,
which is fixed to constantly face a specific side of the earth, had changed.
He said the satellite's functions had to be shut down as a change in the
direction meant the solar panels were no longer facing the sun and so could not
charge the power supply batteries.
Krishnamurthy said ISRO was trying to shift the functions of the INSAT 2B
satellite to other satellites to tide over the shut-down period.
The satellite is one of seven in the INSAT series that are the mainstay of India's telecommunications, broadcasting and meteorological functions.
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