Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauds scientists for successful launch of GSAT-16

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today hailed scientists for the successful launch of GSAT-16 communication satellite, saying it will become a major asset for the country's space programme.

"Kudos to our scientists for the successful launch of GSAT-16. The communication satellite will become a major asset for our space programme," the Prime Minister tweeted.

"After the successful launch, GSAT-16 is in good health. ISRO's Master Control Facility at Hassan has taken over the control of the satellite," he noted.

GSAT-16 was successfully launched on board Arianespace rocket from the space port of Kourou in French Guiana in the early hours today.

In the dual rocket mission, GSAT-16 with 48 transponders, the largest-ever carried by a communication satellite built by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), was ejected into space four minutes after its co-passenger DIRECTTV-14 spacecraft, designed to provide direct-to-home television broadcasts across the US.

GSAT-16, a multi-application telecommunications satellite, will cover the entire Indian sub-continent.