CHENNAI: In a record seventh mission in 2018, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was all set to launch the 2,250 kg operational communication satellite GSAT-7A using GSLV-F11 from the spaceport of Sriharikota on December 19.
In its 13th flight, the 50 m tall GSLV-F11 will lift off from the Second Launch Pad (SLP) at Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR Range, Sriharikota, and inject GSAT-7A into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).
The satellite will be placed in its final Geostationary Orbit (GEO) using the onboard propulsion system.
”It will take few days after separation from launcher to reach its orbital slot”, ISRO sources said.
The satellite will be placed in GTO at a Perigee off 170 km and an Apogee of 33,190 to 40,600 km with an inclination of 19.35 deg to the equator.
GSAT-7A was the 35th Indian Communication satellite built by the ISRO. It was configured on ISRO’s standard I-2000 Kg (I-2K) Bus.
With a mission life of eight years, the Satellite is built to provide communication capability to the users in Ku-band over the Indian region.
The bus capabilities were fully exploited with respect to accommodation, power generation, thermal management, etc.
Most of the functional requirements of the communication payloads and the bus platform systems have been derived from ISRO’s earlier geostationary satellites INSATs and GSATs.
The sources said GSAT-7A, configured as the payload for GSLV MK-II flight F11, incorporates chemical propulsion system to provide an operational mission life of a minimum of eight years.
Chemical propulsion will be used for orbit raising as well as for on orbit attitude correction operations. Sufficient redundancy was built into the Spacecraft for continued service.
This is the seventh flight of the GSLV with indigenous cryo stage and the third GSLV mission this year.’
GSLV F11 is ISRO’s fourth generation launch vehicle with three stages. The four liquid strap-ons and a solid rocket motor at the core form the first stage. The second stage was equipped with high thrust engine using liquid fuel.
The Cryogenic Upper Stage forms the third and final stage of the vehicle. (AGENCIES)
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