On April 1st, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had confirmed that it has lost all contact with the country’s most powerful communication satellite, the GSAT-6A, in less than 48 hours after it was launched on Thursday, 29th March. According to reports, ISRO's GSAT-6A satellite was facing some issues in communication after the second-orbit-raising exercise on Friday.
On April 1st, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had confirmed that it has lost all contact with the country’s most powerful communication satellite, the GSAT-6A, in less than 48 hours after it was launched on Thursday, 29th March.
In conversation with Times of India, ISRO Chairman Kailasavadivoo Sivan said, “After the successful launch of Gsat-6A from Sriharikota on Thursday, ISRO was supposed to perform three orbit-raising manoeuvres to take the satellite from the launch orbit to the designated orbit (geo stationary orbit that is at the altitude of 36,000 km). The first manoeuvre was performed successfully on Thursday. The second orbit-raising exercise was performed on Saturday. As the ISRO ground station was gearing up for the third manoeuvre, the communication link with the satellite snapped.”
ISRO had launched the home-made GSAT-6A communication satellite using the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F08) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota on Thursday, 29th March. The high power S-band communication satellite has a lifespan of around 10 years, and was launched from the second launch pad at the Sriharikota rocket port at 4.56 pm.
Sivan added, “Our team is trying to re-establish the communication link with the satellite. Though the delinking of signal from a satellite is a common phenomenon, this time the signal delinking is happening for a longer duration. Even if the satellite's primary power has failed, we can use the back-up power like solar power if we are able to re-establish the contact with it.”
This was the first mission for Sivan, who assumed charge of the space agency in January. In August last year, India's mission to launch its backup navigation satellite IRNSS-1H on board PSLV-C39 ended in a failure after a technical fault on the final leg following a perfect launch. ISRO had then said the heat shield had not separated on the final leg of the launch sequence and, as a result, IRNSS-1H had got stuck in the fourth stage of the rocket.
The 2,140-kg GSAT-6A rode piggyback on ISRO's powerful geosynchronous rocket (GSLV-F08) fitted with indigenous cryogenic engine at the third stage and was put into orbit successfully after the launch in what was described by a senior ISRO official as a "magnificent mission".
The launch of GSLV-F08 marked the 12th flight of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV-F08 and sixth flight with indigenous Cryogenic upper stage. GSAT-6A is similar to GSAT-6, a high power S-band communication satellite built on I-2K satellite bus with a mission life of about ten years.
GSLV-F08, weighing 415.6 tonnes with a height of 49.1 metre also comes with notable improvements like induction of High Thrust Vikas Engine, electromechanical actuation system in place of electro-hydraulic actuation system.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "ISRO")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}