Question: Name the communication satellite of India that was launched successfully by the European Ariane 5 VA-231 launch Vehicle on 6 October 2016?
(a) GSAT-16
(b) GSAT-14
(c) GSAT-18
(d) GSAT-17
Ans: (c)
Related facts:
- On 6 October 2016 India’s communication satellite GSAT-18 was launched successfully by the European Ariane 5 VA-231 launch Vehicle.
- It was launched from Kourou, French Guiana.
- The 3404 kg GSAT-18 carries 48 communication transponders in C-band, upper extended C-band and Ku-band for providing various services to the country.
- After a flight of 32 minutes and 28 seconds, GSAT-18 separated from the Ariane 5 upper stage in an elliptical Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) with a perigee (nearest point to Earth) of 251.7 km and an apogee (farthest point to Earth) of 35,888 km, inclined at an angle of 6 degree to the equator.
- ISRO’s Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka took over the command and control of GSAT-18 immediately after its separation from the launch vehicle.
- Preliminary health checks of the satellite revealed its normal health.
- The designed in-orbit operational life of GSAT-18 is about 15 years.
- GSAT-18, built by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), aims at providing telecommunication services by strengthening the space agency’s current fleet of 14 operational telecom satellites.
- Ariane 5 also launched Sky Muster™ II for the Australian operator nbn (National Broadband Network).
- The Ariane Passenger PayLoad Experiment (APPLE), an experimental communication satellite was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on July 19th 1981.
Reference:
http://www.isro.gov.in/Spacecraft/gsat-18
http://www.isro.gov.in/update/06-oct-2016/indias-gsat-18-communication-satellite-launched-successfully
http://www.arianespace.com/mission/ariane-flight-va231/