The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) will launch the country’s newest satellite GSAT-7A, which will give a boost to the defence forces’ communication capabilities, from Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on Wednesday.
In the third mission in just over a month, the space agency will launch the 2,250 kg operational communication satellite from the second launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 4.10pm on Wednesday.
The satellite will be carried by the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-F11 (GSLV-F11), Isro’s 35th communication satellite and the 13th flight of the GSLV rocket to orbit.
The GSLV-Mk II rocket will launch the satellite into the temporary orbit after a flight of nearly 20 minutes. The rocket will be taken into the geostationary or circular orbit using the onboard propulsion system and it will take few days after the separation from the launcher to reach its orbital slot.
“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 is equipped with high thrust engine using liquid fuel. The Cryogenic Upper Stage forms the third and final stage of the vehicle,” the space agency said on its website.
According to reports, GSAT-7A has been built exclusively for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Army and will add to the forces’ communication capabilities.
The satellite will allow IAF to interlink its ground radar stations, airbases and airborne early warning and control (AWACS) aircraft, and reduce the reliance on on-ground control stations for drones, they said. It will also boost the air force’s network-dependent warfare capabilities, enhancing its abilities to operate globally.
Wednesday’s mission will be the space agency’s last mission for this year. This year, Isro launched GSAT-11 on December 5 on a European vehicle from French Guinea’s Kourou, GSAT-29 on November 14 on its GSLV-MkIII vehicle and the ill-fated GSAT-6A on March 29 from Sriharikota.
The launch of Chandrayaan-2 and the PSLV-C44 remote-sensing satellite launch are among the seven missions lined up in 2019.
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