GECs
Insat 4A orbit raised further
MUMBAI: The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (Isro) telecommunications satellite Insat 4A’s orbit has been raised further. In the second orbit raising manoeuvre conducted at 1.24 pm on 24 December 24, the Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) on board Insat 4A was fired for 42 minutes by commanding the satellite from Master Control Facility (MCF), Hassan.
With this LAM firing, Insat 4A perigee (closest point to the earth) has been raised to 31479 km. The apogee height remains at 36,008 km and the inclination of the orbit with respect to the equatorial plane has been reduced from 0.85 deg to the present 0.12 deg. Insat 4A now has an orbital period of 22 hours 13 minutes. The satellite will now be in the continuous radio visibility of MCF-Hassan.
Insat 4A was launched by European Ariane-5 launch vehicle on 22 December, 2005 from Kourou, French Guyana. The launch vehicle had placed Insat 4A in an orbit with a perigee (closes point to the earth) of 622 km and apogee (farthest point to earth) of 36,152 km.
The first orbit raising manoeuvre carried out from MCF, Hassan on 23 December had put the satellite in an intermediate orbit of 13733 km perigee and 36,008 km apogee.
The satellite came within the radio visibility of MCF this morning at 07.19 am and all the necessary operations like earth acquisition and gyro calibration were carried out before the second orbit raising manoeuvre was started.
The next orbit manoeuvre to place Insat 4A in near Geosynchronous Orbit is planned on 26 December, 2005. Deployment of the two solar panels and the two antennas will be carried out subsequently.
GECs
Samsung TV Plus launches Kings of Comedy channel
New free FAST channel brings iconic Hindi comedy shows to millions of Samsung Smart TV owners.
MUMBAI: Samsung TV Plus has just turned up the laughter volume and it’s completely free. The leading free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service in India has launched Kings of Comedy, a premium comedy channel featuring some of the country’s most beloved primetime shows. Available exclusively on Samsung TV Plus, the channel delivers back-to-back hits including Comedy Nights with Kapil, Khatra Khatra Khatra, and Comedy Nights Bachao, with no login or subscription required.
The launch marks a milestone for free streaming in India, offering audiences a dedicated comedy destination directly from their Samsung TV home screen. It arrives as Samsung TV Plus India celebrates its 5th anniversary, during which the service has grown its monthly active users by 42 per cent and more than doubled its total viewing hours. The platform now offers over 180 free channels across 14 languages.
Samsung TV Plus India general manager and head of business development Kunal Mehta said, “Comedy is the heartbeat of Hindi entertainment, and Kings of Comedy brings together the shows Indians already love, completely free on their Samsung TV. Our focus remains the same take the content people know and make it effortless to access.”
Globally, Samsung TV Plus has surpassed 100 million monthly active users across more than 4,500 channels, solidifying its position as one of the world’s leading free streaming services.
Kings of Comedy is now available on all compatible Samsung Smart TVs. For viewers seeking non-stop laughter without any cost, this new channel delivers a royal treat proving that sometimes the best entertainment really does come with no strings (or subscriptions) attached.
