SRIHARIKOTA: ISRO on Wednesday launched India’s latest communication satellite GSAT-29 onboard the second developmental flight GSLV-MkII D2 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR), Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
The satellite was launched at 5.08 pm on November 14.The satellite launch is the second test flight for the GSLV Mark III rocket, which is also ISRO’s heaviest rocket.
ISRO chairman Dr Sivan, in his congratulatory message to his fellow scientists, said, the GSLV Mark-Three has entered majestically into the list of operational launch vehicles today.
The satellite, developed by ISRO, will be carried on the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV-III) rocket to low-Earth orbit.
Along for the ride are also a few additional payloads – an experimental Q and V band communication satellite, a device for optical communication and a high-resolution camera – part of a demonstration for use in future ISRO space missions.
The launch of the GSAT-29 satellite on the 64-tonne GSLV-III rocket adds to a series of test flights ISRO is carrying out to develop the agency’s heaviest rocket for use in the manned space mission planned for 2022.
GSAT-29 carries Ka and Ku band high throughput transponders intended to meet the communication requirements of users, including in the North East and in Jammu and Kashmir.