Country’s heaviest satellite launched

GSLV Mk III-D1 Successfully launches GSAT-19

Question- Which one of the below is the country’s heaviest satellite launched by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on June 5, 2017?
(a) GSAT-18
(b) GSAT-19
(c) GSAT-21
(d) GSAT-17
Ans :(b)
Related facts:-

  • On June 5, 2017, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched the country’s heaviest satellite GSAT-19 by its heaviest launch vehicle GSLV Mk III-D1 from the Second Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota.
  • GSAT 19, weighing 3136 kg at lift-off, is the heaviest satellite launched from the Indian soil.
  • The GSAT-19, a communication satellite, expected to enhance India’s communication infrastructure, was placed into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), 16 minutes after launch, with a perigee (closest point to Earth) 170 km and apogee (farthest point from Earth) 35,975 km.
  • The GSAT-19 carries a Ka/Ku-band high throughput communication transponders. It also carries a Geostationary Radiation Spectrometer (GRASP) payload to monitor and study the nature of charged particles and the influence of space radiation on satellites and their electronic components
  • This successful launch will enable India to launch 4-tonne class satellites from India.
  • These were earlier launched from launch pads abroad.
  • The GSAT-19 satellite was built in Space Application Center, Ahmedabad.
  • Launch Vehicle GSLV Mark-3D-1 is 43.43 meter long and weighing 640 tonnes.
  • This rocket is able to take away, 4000 kg payload in geo-synchronous transfer orbit and the payload of 10 thousand kg can be taken by it in the lower orbit of the Earth.
  • Till now ISRO was dependent on foreign launchers for the launch of communication satellites weighing more than 2,300 kg.
  • Earlier, the communication satellite GSAT-18 was launched from Kouru Launch site of French Guyana on October 6, 2016 from European Arian-5 VA-231 launch vehicle.

Related Links:-
http://isro.gov.in/launcher/gslv-mk-iii-d1-gsat-19-mission
http://isro.gov.in/launchers/gslv-mk-iii
http://isro.gov.in/Spacecraft/gsat-19