Orbit Raising Operation of GSAT-8 Satellite Conducted

Neelam Mathews

May 22, 2011

Time- 8.50 PM IST

 

The first critical orbit-raising manoeuvre of GSAT-8 was successfully conducted at 03:58 hrs (IST) this morning with the firing of the 440 Newton Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) on board GSAT-8 for 95 minutes by commanding the satellite from ISRO’s Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka, says ISRO.

Arianespace orbited two communications satellites: ST-2 for the operator ST-2 Satellite Ventures Pte Ltd., a joint venture of Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) and Chunghwa Telecom Company Limited (Chunghwa), and GSAT-8 for the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

This was the 58th launch of an Ariane 5, and the 44th successful launch in a row.

ST-2 is the second satellite launched by Arianespace for SingTel and Chunghwa, following the launch of ST-1 in 1998. GSAT-8 is the 14th ISRO satellite to be launched by Ariane. Since the launch of the Apple experimental satellite on Flight L03 in 1981, Arianespace has orbited 13 Indian satellites.

“This latest successful Ariane 5 launch, the third in 2011, once again proves the launcher’s operational capabilities. Ariane 5 handles a complete range of missions, from commercial launches into geostationary orbit to spacecraft launches into special orbits," says Arianespace.

Ariane 5 is the only heavy launcher now on the commercial market capable of simultaneously launching two payloads.
  
GSAT-8, designed, assembled and integrated by ISRO in Bangalore, weighed 3,100 kg at launch, and offers a design life exceeding 12 years. It is fitted with 24 Ku-band transponders, and will mainly provide direct-to-home TV broadcast and radio-navigation services. Its coverage zone includes the entire Indian subcontinent.

The ST-2 satellite was built by Mitsubishi Electric Company (MELCO) of Japan, using a DS2000 platform, and weighed 5,090 kg at launch. Equipped with Ku-band and C-band transponders, ST-2 will provide IP-based fixed and mobile, voice and data transmission satellite services to businesses, especially direct broadcast TV operators and maritime companies in Asia and the Middle East. It has a design life of 15 years.