Weighing 5,854 kg, India’s heaviest satellite is all set to be launched from Europe’s Ariane-5 rocket early on December 5.
Here’s all you need to know about the launch:
- Gsat-11 is a high-throughput satellite that carries 40 transponders in the Ku-band and Ka-band frequencies.
- According to the European space transporter, Arianespace, the launch is scheduled between 2.07 and 3.23 am (IST) on December 5.
- The shelf-life of the satellite is over 15 years. Each solar panel is more than four metres long, almost the size of a big room!
- What will it do? Give you faster internet connectivity, up to 14 gigabits per second (GBPS) of data transfer speed!
- According to a report in The Times of India, the satellite is expected to provide a multi-spot beam coverage over the Indian mainland and nearby islands. It will bring about a large-scale impact on users as compared with the Insat/GSAT satellite systems.
- It will facilitate a platform to demonstrate new generation applications.
- The heavy-duty satellite will initially be placed in the geosynchronous transfer orbit. It will then be raised to the geostationary orbit by firing the Liquid Apogee Motor on board the satellite.
- The report mentions how the communication satellite was previously scheduled for launch early this year. But the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) recalled it from French Guiana to check for possible anomalies after suspecting a glitch in April.
- It was a precaution measure that the space agency took after it witnessed the failure of the Gsat-6A mission around the time. On March 29, the said satellite went out of control, and the signal was lost soon after its launch.
Read More: ISRO to Launch HysIS, 30 Satellites from 8 Countries: 5 Facts About This Big Mission!
Speaking to TOI, ISRO chairman K Sivan said, “The launch of four high-throughput satellites will provide the country broadband connectivity of over 100 gigabits per second (Gbps) by next year.”
While two satellites Gsat-19 and Gsat-29 have already been launched, Gsat-11 will be launched on Wednesday and Gsat-20 has been scheduled for next year.
He signed off, adding, “Together, all these satellites will provide high-speed internet connectivity in the country, especially in rural areas, and help bridge the digital divide.”
(Edited by Shruti Singhal)
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