ISRO: PSLV-C17 Successfully Launches GSAT - 12 Satellite
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| PSLV-C17 Lift-off |
It is yet another successful launch for the ISRO's workhorse PSLV. India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C17) successfully launched GSAT-12 communication satellite today (July 15, 2011) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota. The launch of PSLV-C17 was the eighteenth successive successful flight of PSLV out of total nineteen flights.
After a smooth countdown of 53 hours, the vehicle lifted-off from the Second Launch Pad at the opening of the launch window at 16:48 hrs (IST). After about 20 minutes of flight time, GSAT-12 was successfully injected into sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (sub-GTO) with a perigee of 284 km and an apogee of 21,020 km with an orbital inclination of 17.9 deg.
The preliminary flight data indicates that all major flight events involving stage ignition and burnouts, performance of solid and liquid stages, indigenously developed advanced mission computers and telemetry systems have performed well.
ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC)'s ground station at Biak, Indonesia acquired the signals from GSAT-12 immediately after the injection of the satellite. The solar panels of the satellite were deployed automatically. Initial checks on the satellite have indicated normal health of the satellite.
Launch Vehicle
PSLV-C17 is the nineteenth flight of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. PSLV-C17 measuring 44.5 m height, with a lift off weight of 320 tonnes has four stages of solid and liquid propulsion systems alternately. In its XL Version, PSLV-XL uses six extended solid strap-on motors wherein each strap-on carries 12 tonnes of solid propellant. This is a second time such a configuration is being flown, earlier one being the PSLV-C11/Chandrayaan-I mission.
Salient feature of PSLV-C17/GSAT-12 Mission:
- For the first time, use of indigenously designed and developed On-Board computer (OBC) with Vikram 1601 processor in both primary and redundant chains of the vehicle. The OBC performs the functions of Navigation, Guidance and Control processing for the vehicle.
- Use of extended solid strap-on configuration
- Satellite injection in elliptical transfer orbit sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO)
- Five burn strategy (2 perigee burn and 3 apogee burn) for placing the GSAT-12 satellite from its sub-GTO to Geostationary Orbit
The Satellite
GSAT-12, the latest communication satellite built by ISRO, weighs about 1410 kg at lift-off. GSAT-12 is configured to carry 12 Extended C-band transponders to meet the country's growing demand for transponders in a short turn-around-time.
The 12 Extended C-band transponders of GSAT-12 will augment the capacity in the INSAT system for various communication services like Tele-education, Telemedicine and for Village Resource Centres (VRC).