CHENNAI: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be launching yet another communication satellite GSAT-7A today, but this time it is said to boost military assets in the sky.
On Tuesday, the space agency began the 26-hour countdown at 2.10 pm and the launch is scheduled to take place from the second launch of Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota at 4.10 pm.
Weighing 2,250 kg, GSAT-7A is the 35th Indian communication satellite built by ISRO. The satellite incorporates a chemical propulsion system to provide an operational mission life of a minimum of eight years.
The GSLV-F11 will inject GSAT-7A into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) and it will be placed in its final Geostationary Orbit using the onboard propulsion systems.
Chemical propulsion will be used for orbit raising as well as for an orbit attitude correction operation. Sufficient redundancy is built into the spacecraft for continued service, ISRO officials said.
The mission life of the GSAT-7A, built by the Indian Space Research Organisation, is eight years.
It will provide communication capability to users in Ku-band over the Indian region, the space agency said.
This will be the third launch in a month’s time. It will be the seventh operational flight of GSLV Mk-II, which is equipped with an indigenously developed cryogenic stage. The three-stage vehicle is 51 metres tall and has a lift-off mass of about 421 tonnes.
(With inputs from agencies.)