India’s first exclusive defence satellite GSAT‐7 was successfully launched by European space consortium Arianespace’s Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou spaceport in French Guiana, giving a major push to the country’s maritime security. Indian Navy would be the user of the multiband home‐built communication spacecraft, expected to be operational by September end. The Rs 185‐crore GSAT‐7, the country’s maiden dedicated spacecraft for Defence applications, was launched during a 50‐minute launch window which started at 2 am. After a flight of almost 34 minutes, the satellite was injected into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) of 249 km perigee (nearest point to earth), 35,929 km apogee (farthest point to earth) and an inclination of 3.5 degree with respect to the equator.

Source: Deccan Herald

• «Previous Post
• Next Post »

---