India’s latest communication satellite GSAT-30 was successfully launched from the Spaceport in French Guiana, earlier this week.
The launch vehicle Ariane 5 VA-251 lifted off from Kourou Launch Base, French Guiana carrying India’s GSAT-30 and EUTELSAT KONNECT for Eutelsat, as scheduled.
According to a press release, after a flight that lasted 38 minutes and 25 seconds, GSAT-30 separated from the Ariane 5 upper-stage in an elliptical geosynchronous transfer orbit.
The satellite has a lift-off mass of 3,357 Kilograms. It will provide continuity to operational services on some of the in-orbit satellites. GSAT-30 is based on ISRO’s earlier INSAT/GSAT satellite series and will replace INSAT-4A in orbit.
The ISRO Chairman noted that India Communication Satellite GSAT-30 has a unique configuration and will provide flexible frequency segments and coverage. The satellite will enable communication services to the Indian mainland and islands through Ku-band and wide-coverage covering the Gulf countries. Also, a large number of Asian countries and Australia through C-band.
He said that GSAT-30 will provide DTH television services, connectivity to VSATs for ATMs, stock-exchange, television up-linking, teleport services, digital satellite newsgathering (DSNG), and e-governance applications.
The satellite will also be used for bulk data transfer for a host of emerging telecommunication applications.
ISRO’s master control facility (MCF), at Hassan in Karnataka, took over the command and control of GSAT-30 immediately after its separation from the launch vehicle. Preliminary health checks of the satellite revealed its health is normal.
In the days ahead, orbit-raising manoeuvres will be performed to place the satellite in a geostationary orbit (36,000 Kilometres above the equator) by using its onboard propulsion system.
During the final stages of its orbit raising operations, the two solar arrays and the antenna reflectors of GSAT-30 will be deployed. Following this, the satellite will be put in its final orbital configuration. The satellite will be operational after the successful completion of all in-orbit tests.
Last May, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C46) was launched the RISAT-2B satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), in Andhra Pradesh.
It was the 72nd launch vehicle mission from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota and 36th launch from the first launchpad. RISAT-2B satellite is a radar imaging earth observation satellite with advanced radial rib antenna technology. The satellite provided services in the field of agriculture, forestry, and disaster management.
The Department of Space (DOS) said PSLV-C46 lifted-off from the First Launch Pad and injected RISAT-2B into an orbit of 556 Kilometres, about 15 minutes and 25 seconds after lift-off.
After the separation, the solar arrays of RISAT-2B satellite were deployed automatically and ISRO’s Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) assumed control of the satellite. Following that, the satellite was brought to its final operational configuration.
ISRO’s team created the piggyback payload carried onboard the mission, the Vikram processor and the low-cost MEMS-based Inertial Navigation System.
The Vikram processor is one of the key components for the launch vehicle application. One of the main features of the processor is in the realisation of onboard computers for navigation, guidance and control processing in-flight applications, and general-purpose processing applications.