India’s heavy and advanced geo-stationary satellite GSAT-8 lifted off successfully onboard the Ariane-V rocket at 02:11 IST on Saturday from Kourou in French Guiana.
The indigenously built 3.1-tonne (3,100 kg) GSAT-8 has 24 high powered Ku-band transponders for direct-to-home (DTH) services by state-run and private broadcasters.
GSAT-8 was launched into a elliptical Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) by Ariane-5 VA-202 launch vehicle (Ariane-V of Arianespace belongs to the European Space Agency consortium).
After its injection into the GTO, the space agency's Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka will take over the command and control of the satellite and performs the initial orbit raising manoeuvres by using the Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) on-board the satellite, placing it in the circular Geostationary Orbit.
The satellite will be gradually put in the 36,000 km geosynchronous orbit over the subsequent days and the deployment of appendages such as the solar panels, antennas and three axis stabilisation of the satellite will be performed.
The MCF will also test and monitor the health parameters of the payloads by June 1. It will be available for DTH services from next month. Along with GSAT-8, the space agency has sent the global position system (GPS) aided geo augmented navigation (Gagan) to improve the accuracy of the US’ GPS.
SALIENT FEATURES OF GSAT-8.........
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