ISRO successfully launched GSAT 30 Communication Satellite
Arianespace CEO Stephane Israel confirmed the success of the launch with a tweet, which read, “A strong start to 2020 as Ariane 5 successfully deploys its two satellite passengers..."
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced the successful launch of GSAT 30. The high power communication satellite aims to provide high-quality telecommunications including television and broadcasting services.
The satellite was successfully blasted off onboard Ariane 5 rocket from the Ariane Launch Complex located in Kourou, a French territory in the northeastern coast of South America at 2:35 am. European space consortium Arianespace’s vehicle Ariane 5 injected India’s GSAT-30 into the orbit after a flawless flight of about 38 minutes.
Arianespace CEO Stephane Israel confirmed the success of the launch with a tweet, which read, “A strong start to 2020 as Ariane 5 successfully deploys its two satellite passengers - EUTELSAT KONNECT and GSAT-30 - into geostationary transfer orbit! I appreciate the trust from the two customers on this mission”.
Meanwhile, ISRO’s UR Rao Satellite Centre Director P Kunhikrishnan, who was present in Kourou during the launch, congratulated the ISRO community and the Arianespace team on the successful launch.
Calling it an “excellent start” to 2020 for ISRO, Kunhikrishnan said, “The mission team at the master control facility have already acquired the satellite and they will immediately complete the post launch operations”.
The 3,357-kg satellite, derives its heritage from ISRO’s INSAT and GSAT satellite series and is equipped with 12 C and 12 Ku band transponders.
GSAT-30 is going to serve as a replacement for the aging INSAT-4A spacecraft services with enhanced coverage, ISRO has said, adding the satellite is going to provide Indian mainland and the surrounding islands the coverage in Ku-band. It will also extend coverage in C-band covering the Gulf countries and a large number of Asian countries and Australia.
With a mission life of 15 years, GSAT-30 is now an operational communication satellite for the DTH, television uplink and VSAT services. ISRO has said the communication payload of GSAT-30 is specifically designed and optimized in order to maximize the number of transponders on the spacecraft bus.
The spacecraft would now be broadly used for supporting the VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) network, DTH television services, digital satellite newsgathering (DSNG), television up linking and teleport services, cellular backhaul connectivity and many other such applications.
One Ku band beacon downlink signal is transmitted for the ground tracking purpose. Since the launch of India’s APPLE experimental satellite on Ariane Flight L03 in the year 1981, Arianespace has so far orbited 24 satellites, including GSAT-30, for the Indian space agency.
