[2] A 2,168-kilogram (4,780 lb) spacecraft, it is equipped with twelve Ku band transponders operating at a frequency of 36 MHz, with 140 Watt travelling wave tube amplifiers.

At launch, the satellite was carrying 1,218 kilograms (2,685 lb) of fuel,[2] for raising itself into geostationary orbit, and subsequently operating there for a planned twelve years.

[4] Increased expenditure of fuel reaching geostationary orbit, due to launch underperformance, may have resulted in a loss of up to five years of operational life.

As a result of the underperformance during its launch, INSAT-4CR had to expend maneuvering and station keeping propellant to raise its orbit by more than had originally been planned.

Towards the end of its service life INSAT-4CR was relocated from 74°E[8] to 48°E slot on 10 February 2017[9] where it stayed until being retired and placed into graveyard orbit on 24 November 2020.