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A beaming Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) chief K. Radhakrishnan told reporters after
the 4.48 p.m. launch Friday that the mission was
a success.
"It is a tricky mission. I am extremely
happy to state that the PSLV (Polar Satellite
Launch Vehicle)-C17 GSAT-12 mission is successful.
The satellite was launched in the intended orbit,"
he said at the launch site here, 80 km north of
Tamil Nadu's capital Chennai.
V. Narayanasamy, Minister of State in the Prime
Minister's Office, said: "I am extremely
happy (at the successful launch). I am coming
here for the second time, and it is a second successful
launch. On behalf of the prime minister, UPA chairperson
Sonia Gandhi, I congratulate the ISRO scientists
for the wonderful performance."
The PSLV blasted off successfully at 4.48 p.m.,
carrying the 1,410 kg GSAT-12 satellite from the
spaceport here. The satellite has a life span
of about seven years.
With this, India added 12 more communication
transponders to its space-based network.
The launch took place under a cloudy sky, with
the Rs.95 crore rocket PSLV-C17 - measuring 44
metres in height and weighing 320 tonnes - soaring
off into space with a roar.
It ferried the Rs.105 crore GSAT-12 having 12
extended C-band transponders - automatic receivers
and transmitters for communication and broadcast
of signals.
With a rich orange flame at its rear, the one-way
ticket rocket left behind a huge tail of white
plume as it rose into the sky to the cheers of
ISRO scientists and media team assembled at the
launch centre.
People perched atop of the nearby buildings too
happily applauded as PSLV-C17 went up.
Around 20 minutes after the blast off, the rocket
achieved its mission by placing the latest Indian
communication satellite in the intended sub geosynchronous
transfer orbit (sub GTO).
The GTO is an intermediate orbit from where normally
communication satellites will be moved to its
final geosynchronous orbit by firing the on-board
motors.
Radhakrishnan said the rocket's navigation systems
were powered by Indian-made advanced Vikram processors.
"We needed to make modifications in the
rocket's navigational software for this mission,"
Radhakrishnan said.
The GSAT-12 carries around 851 kg of fuel on-board
to fire the motors. (A geosynchronous orbit is
one directly above the earths' equator. For an
observer from the earth a satellite in geosynchronous
orbit will seem motionless, stationary at one
point in the sky).
The rocket placed the satellite in sub GTO with
a 284 km perigee (nearest point to earth) and
22,020 km apogee (farthest point from the earth).
The satellite will be raised to 36,000 km apogee
from 22,020 km over the next two days.
The satellite will be useful for various communication
services like tele-education, tele-medicine and
for village resource centres, Radhakrishnan said.
The GSAT-12 satellite is also expected to serve
the Very Small Aperture Terminal (V-SAT) sector.
VSATs are used to transmit data like point of
sale transactions or to provide satellite internet
access.
T.K. Alex, director of ISRO Satellite Centre,
said the initial operations after putting the
satellite in orbit went of smoothly.
"The solar panels were deployed and are
generating power. The satellite orbit will be
raised from 22,020 km apogee to 36,000 km apogee
tomorrow and day after. All the 12 transponders
in the satellite will be tested by the end of
this month," Alex said.
He said there will be sufficient fuel left in
GSAT-12 after carrying raising its orbit to 36,000
km apogee so that it can be in operation for seven
years.
Immediately after satellite ejection, ISRO with
its network of ground stations monitored its health.
The satellite will augment transponder capacity
of Indian National Satellite (Insat) system which
at present comprises of eight satellites -- Insat-2E,
Insat-3A, Insat-3C, Insat-3E, Insat-4A, Insat-4B
(working at 50 percent capacity) Insat-4CR and
GSAT-8 providing 175 transponders in the S, C,
extend C and Ku bands.
The Indian space agency has leased 86 more transponders
from various foreign satellites. It is estimated
there is an unmet demand for 170 transponders.
ISRO used its third PSLV rocket variant - PSLV-XL
- with longer strap-on motors with higher fuel
capacity - to put the latest communication satellite
in the space.
The other two rocket variants are the PSLV standard
with 11.3 metres six strap-on motors and the PSLV
Core Alone (CA) rocket without the six strap-on
motors.
The PSLV-C17 that went up Friday had 13.5 metres
long strap-on motors carrying 12 tonnes of solid
fuel than the normal strap-on motors measuring
11.3 metres with nine-tonne fuel capacity.
This is the second time ISRO has launched a rocket
with this specification. The earlier one was for
the Chandrayaan moon mission.
This is also only the second time ISRO is using
a PSLV rocket for launching a satellite to be
finally placed in geostationary orbit. The first
satellite was Kalpana-1 (originally named as Metsat),
a meteorological satellite launched in 2002.
The PSLV has an excellent success record since
1994, launching many Indian and foreign satellites.
ISRO officials told IANS that a remote sensing
satellite - Megha-Tropiques - is being planned
for launch later this year.
(IANS)
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