First Mission OF 2020: ISRO To Launch GSAT-3 To Improve Internet And TV Signals

ISRO has begun the new year with a lot of plans, the first of which is the GSAT-30. The satellite is set to launch on January 17 but it won’t be aboard the PSLV rocket or any other that ISRO developed.

GSAT-30 will instead be launched aboard Ariane-5, a rocket developed by one of the first commercial rocket launch firms in the world – Arianespace.

The launch will take place at the Guiana Space Centre, sending the satellite from the Ariane Launch Complex. The space center is situated at Korou, a territory in France, near South America’s northern coast.

The satellite has a huge weight of 3,357 kilograms and will replace the INSAT-4A, providing better coverage. The GSAT-30 satellite is expected to operate for the next 15 years, created for maximizing the number of transponders on the satellite bus.

GSAT-30 will provide the country and its surrounding areas with coverage in Ku-band as well as extended coverage in C-band. ISRO has configured the satellite with an enhanced I-3K bus structure so that it can provide better communication services for Ku and C bands.

It has also been revealed by the space station that the main responsibility of the spacecraft would be supporting the VSAT network, digital satellite news gathering (DSNG), as well as teleport and television uplinking services. Besides, GSAT-3 will support cellular backhaul connectivity, DTH TV services, and more. Simply speaking, satellites like GSAT-30 enable TV channels to display content all over India.

Apart from the GSAT-30, aboard the Ariane-5 rocket will also be the EUTELSAT KONNET, Eutelsat telecom satellite from the Guiana Space Centre.

ISRO has been sending satellites on the Ariane rocket since 1981. The space launch partner has orbited 23 satellites, signing 24 launch contracts with the India space station.

>>> ISRO Confirms The Chandrayaan-3 Lunar Mission, Probably Launch This Year