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Communication satellite launched in textbook style

The launch was the fifth developmental flight of the GSLV.

Sriharikota: Isro’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-D6 on Thursday successfully placed its most advanced GSAT-6 satellite in its designated orbit.

In its ninth flight, the GSLV-D6 took off flawlessly from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, 90 km from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh.

The launch was the fifth developmental flight of the GSLV. This was the third time that the indigenously developed Cryogenic Upper Stage was being carried on-board.

A previous attempt, GSLV-D3, had failed in 2010, but the second, GSLV-D5, launched in January 2014, was successful.

The GSLV is designed to inject two-tonne class of communication satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbit.

Expressing satisfaction over the success of Thursday’s launch, Isro chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar said that the success of the GSLV in January last year was not a flash in the pan.

He said that they were slowly mastering the complex cryogenic engines. “We understood the design and intricacies of the cryogenic engine. We have had repeated successful launches to demonstrate its reliability. The GSLV will command its own market with frequent successful launches,” Mr Kumar added.

The CUS flown in GSLV-D6 was designated CUS-06. A cryogenic rocket stage is more efficient and provides more thrust for every kilogramme of propellant it burns, compared to solid and earth-storable liquid propellant rocket stages.

The 2,117-kg GSAT-6 is an advanced communication satellite. It will provide S-band communication services, mostly to the defence sector.

The solar panels of the satellite were deployed 100 seconds after the launch and started generating power.

Some critical operations will be taken up in the next three days to push the satellite to its 36.000-km circular orbit above the earth. After reaching the GTO, GSAT-6 will use its own propulsion system to reach its orbital home.

( Source : deccan chronicle )
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