Indian Space Research Organization will launch the communication satellite GSAT-29 this evening from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikotta. The ISRO’s heaviest ever launch vehicle GSLV Mark-III is set to inject the satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit after its lift off at 5:08 PM. The countdown for the launch started at 2:50 PM yesterday and is progressing smoothly.
The satellite GSAT-29 has high throughput communication transponders in the Ka and Ku bands. It can augment high speed data transfer in India’s far flung and remote areas. It weighs 3,423 kg during lift off and has an operational life of over ten years.
The mission assumes significance, as its success would qualify the national space agency’s fifth generation launch vehicle GSLV-Mark Three, for regular launches of four-tonne class payloads. It is also set to provide a further fillip, to the prestigious Chandrayaan-II mission, that is being planned early next year. The satellite GSAT-29 that is to be injected into the preparatory orbit today would help increase the speed and quantum of data transfer, paving way for hi-speed communication even in remotest parts of the country