Question: Recently which Indian Communication satellite was launched successfully from French Guiana on 11 November 2015?
(a) GSAT-16
(b) GSAT-14
(c) GSAT-10
(d) GSAT-15
Ans (d)
Related facts:
- GSAT-15, India’s communication satellite, was launched successfully by the European Ariane 5 VA-227 launch Vehicle on November 11, 2015.
- GSAT-15 carries communication transponders in Ku-band as well as a GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) payload operating in L1 and L5 bands.
- The 3,164-kg spacecraft will replace the ageing Insat-3A and 4B spacecraft that are in the same orbital slot when they expire.
- After a flight of 43 minutes and 24 seconds, GSAT-15 separated from the Ariane 5 upper stage in an elliptical Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO)
- Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) will have a perigee (nearest point to Earth) of 250 km and an apogee (farthest point to Earth) of 35,819 km, inclined at an angle of 3.9 degree to the equator.
- ISRO’s Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka took over the command and control of GSAT-15 immediately after its separation from the launch vehicle.
- It carries a suite of 24 transponders used mainly VSAT (VSAT) operators and will help in Direct-to-Home (DTH) broadcasting.
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