The EDUSAT satellite weighing 1,950 kilograms (4,290 pounds) will be launched at 4:01 pm (1031 GMT) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, said S. Krishnamurthy, spokesman for the Indian Space Research Organisation.

Krishnamurthy said the satellite, built with a mission life of seven years, will help train teachers and provide primary and university education in remote regions.

Initially universities from three states -- southern Karnataka, western Maharashtra and central Madhya Pradesh -- will be linked through the satellite.

And in the second phase the satellite will reach two more states and connect more than 1,000 classrooms.

"When it is fully operational the Indian Space Research Organisation will provide technical support in the replication of EDUSAT ground systems to manufacturers and service providers," Krishnamurthy said.

The satellite will be sent into space by India's locally-built Geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle which can carry communication satellites weighing up to 2,000 kilograms.

India has been eyeing the lucrative launch market. The government last year approved an ambitious plan to send an unmanned mission to the moon by 2008, budgeting 83 million dollars for the project.

Of the 135 transponders India has in space, 11 are leased to the US-based firm Intelsat, bringing in 10 million dollars over a five-year period.

Another 24 of the transponders are used by India's state-run television, with the rest mostly leased by private operators.

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