GSAT-16 Launched Successfully By India: Communications Satellite Placed in Orbit
GSAT-16 Launched Successfully By India: Communications Satellite Placed in Orbit
India’s leading communications satellite GSAT-16 was launched on Sunday, 7th December 2014. This satellite was placed on the GTO or Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit by European launcher Ariane 5 VA221 from Kourou space port in the French Guiana. The satellite was held back from launch 2 days ago due to bad weather.
GSAT-16 Launched
GSAT-16 had 48 transponders included 12 in the C band, 12 in the extended C band and 24 in the Ku band. This satellite covers the entire nation. The ISRO or Indian Space Research Organisation said that the 3,181 kilogram GSAT-16 was placed on orbit.
The satellite was delivered on an Ariane 5 rocket alongside the US broadcast satellite DIRECTV-14 launch company, according to Arianespace.
GSAT-16 is a replacement for the INSAT-3E which expired in the month of April this year. This satellite will be used through public and private operators for television, telephone and Internet. The Satellite will be replacing INSAT-3E at 55 degrees east longitude.
GSAT-16 was developed at the cost of INR 880 crore built by ISRO in Bangalore and launched by Arianespace. This communication satellite was launched in January in 2014.
About the Launch
The satellite now revolves around our planet in a temporary elliptical orbit at 36,000 km in one end and adjusted slowly into a circular one. First post launch exercise for increasing the satellite’s orbit will be taken up at 4 am at the Master Control Facility at Hassan, ISRO Head Radhakrishnan informed The Hindu.
MCF monitors as well as handles the national communication satellites throughout their entire lifespan and it is located at 200 kms from Bangalore. GSAT-16 will also go down in history as one of the longest orbit adjustments ISRO engineers have performed and it lasts around 103 minutes. "Almost 66 per cent of orbit-raising will be covered in the first manoeuvre," Dr. Radhakrishnan has been quoted as saying. 2 more orbit adjustments are planned for December 9th as well as 10th. "By noon [on December 10] the third orbit-raising will be over and we have to deploy the solar panel and antenna. That is a crucial day," Dr. Radhakrishnan was also quoted as saying.
DIRECTV-14
The Indian satellite GSAT-16’s co-passenger was DIRECTV-14 created by SSL/space systems loral for operator DIRECTV-14 for providing DTH broadcasts across the US. This is the 63rd successful mission in the row for Ariane 5 VA221. "Ariane 5 delivers DIRECTV-14 and GSAT-16 to orbit on Arianespace's latest mission success", Arianespace mentioned on its website.
GSAT-16 will have an orbit operational life of 12 years and boost public as well as private TV and radio services, massive scale Internet and telephone operations. Capacity crunch has caused ISRO to lease 95 transponders on foreign satellites for private TV broadcast use. ISRO’s next big launcher is the GSLV-MkIII putting satellites of 4 tonnes in orbit.
