The Indian Space Research Organisation has given the nation the most appropriate Diwali gift - An indigeneously made communications satellite GSAT-15. It was successfully launched at 03:04 am (IST) today, using one of the world's largest rockets - the Ariane-5. The launch took place from Kourou in French Guyana in South America.
The satellite with a lift-off mass of 3,164 kg was injected into the intended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) about 43 minutes after a perfect lift-off of Ariane 5 at 3:04 AM (IST) on flight VA-227.
Speaking at the launch facility in Kourou, ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) Director M Annadurai said the launch of GSAT-15 will enable ISRO to provide continuity of service to Indian users in Ku-band.
The GSAT-15 satellite weighs 3164 kilograms and has been made at a cost of Rs. 278 crores. It carries a suite of 24 transponders which will help in Direct-to-Home (DTH) broadcasting. It also carries a GPS-Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) payload operating in L1 and L5 bands, which will help in aircraft navigation.
The Ariane-5 rocket has been hired at a cost of approximately Rs. 581 crores. An Arabsat communications satellite also accompanied the GSAT-15 on the same launch.
The GSAT-15 was launched into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) after its co-passenger Arabsat-6B (BADR-7) was injected into space.
A high power satellite, GSAT-15 is being inducted into the INSAT/GSAT system. GSAT-15 carries a total of 24 communication transponders in Ku-band as well as a GPS-Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) payload operating in L1 and L5 bands.
Providing replacement for the Ku-band capacity of INSAT-3A and INSAT-4B satellites, GSAT-15 will augment and support the existing DTH and VSAT services in the country. The GAGAN payload will meet the in-orbit redundancy requirement for Safety of Life (SOL) operations benefiting the civil aviation services and other users of augmented GPS-based systems in the country.
ISRO's Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka took over the command and control of GSAT-15 immediately after its separation from the launch vehicle.
Preliminary health checks of the satellite revealed its normal health, ISRO said here.
Speaking at the launch facility in Kourou, ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) Director M Annadurai said the launch of GSAT-15 will enable ISRO to provide continuity of service to Indian users in Ku-band.
The GAGAN payload in GSAT-15 provides the Satellite Based Augmentation System, through which the accuracy of the positioning information obtained from the GPS satellites is improved by a network of ground based receivers and made available to the users in the country through geostationary satellites, ISRO said.
In the next few days, the MCF at Hassan will perform the initial orbit raising manoeuvres using the Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) of the satellite to take it to its intended space home.
With the designed in-orbit operational life of 12 years, GSAT-15 will be positioned at 93.5 degree east longitude and co-located with INSAT-3A and INSAT-4B satellites.
GSAT-15:
The satellite with a lift-off mass of 3,164 kg was injected into the intended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) about 43 minutes after a perfect lift-off of Ariane 5 at 3:04 AM (IST) on flight VA-227.
Speaking at the launch facility in Kourou, ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) Director M Annadurai said the launch of GSAT-15 will enable ISRO to provide continuity of service to Indian users in Ku-band.
The GSAT-15 satellite weighs 3164 kilograms and has been made at a cost of Rs. 278 crores. It carries a suite of 24 transponders which will help in Direct-to-Home (DTH) broadcasting. It also carries a GPS-Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) payload operating in L1 and L5 bands, which will help in aircraft navigation.
The Ariane-5 rocket has been hired at a cost of approximately Rs. 581 crores. An Arabsat communications satellite also accompanied the GSAT-15 on the same launch.
The GSAT-15 was launched into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) after its co-passenger Arabsat-6B (BADR-7) was injected into space.
A high power satellite, GSAT-15 is being inducted into the INSAT/GSAT system. GSAT-15 carries a total of 24 communication transponders in Ku-band as well as a GPS-Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) payload operating in L1 and L5 bands.
Providing replacement for the Ku-band capacity of INSAT-3A and INSAT-4B satellites, GSAT-15 will augment and support the existing DTH and VSAT services in the country. The GAGAN payload will meet the in-orbit redundancy requirement for Safety of Life (SOL) operations benefiting the civil aviation services and other users of augmented GPS-based systems in the country.
ISRO's Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka took over the command and control of GSAT-15 immediately after its separation from the launch vehicle.
Preliminary health checks of the satellite revealed its normal health, ISRO said here.
Speaking at the launch facility in Kourou, ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) Director M Annadurai said the launch of GSAT-15 will enable ISRO to provide continuity of service to Indian users in Ku-band.
The GAGAN payload in GSAT-15 provides the Satellite Based Augmentation System, through which the accuracy of the positioning information obtained from the GPS satellites is improved by a network of ground based receivers and made available to the users in the country through geostationary satellites, ISRO said.
In the next few days, the MCF at Hassan will perform the initial orbit raising manoeuvres using the Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) of the satellite to take it to its intended space home.
With the designed in-orbit operational life of 12 years, GSAT-15 will be positioned at 93.5 degree east longitude and co-located with INSAT-3A and INSAT-4B satellites.
GSAT-15:
To operate from 93.5 east, GSAT-15, which is designed to provide 6.2 kilowatts of power to its payload over a 12-year service life, will serve as an in-orbit backup for the GSAT-8 and GSAT-10 satellites already in orbit and equipped with GAGAN payloads.
ISRO’s Annadurai said the Airports Authority of India has already approved GAGAN for safety-of-life applications in India. The United States, Europe, Russia, Japan and China have similar augmentation systems.
Annadurai said GSAT-15 is the 19th Indian satellite launched by Arianespace, but that ISRO’s PSLV rocket has also launched four French Earth observation satellites.
PM Modi congratulates Isro for successful launch of GSAT 15:
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