GSat-10

Spacecraft nº:

Indian spacecraft nº: 67

Launch data: Designation  38779 / 12051B Launch date  28 Sept 2012 - 21:18 UT Launch site  Ko, ELA-3 Launch vehicle  Ariane-5ECA (#565 - VA209) Mission  Govern: Communication/Navig Geostationary orbit: Perigee / Apogee  35777 x 35795 km Eccentricity  2,13E-04 Inclination  0.06 deg Period  1436.07 min

Spacecraft data: Prime manufacturer  ISRO Platform  I-3K (I-3000) Bus Operator  Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Mass at launch  3435 kg Dry Mass  1493 kg Basic shape   Dimension (m)   Equipment  12 Normal C-band, 6 Extended C-band and 12 Ku-band transponders  second GAGAN L-band navigation payload Solar array  2 deployable solar arrays Stabilization  3 axis body stabilized Propulsion   DC power   Design lifetime  15 yrs - still active

GSAT-10 undergoing prelaunch tests at Arianespace's Spaceport in French Guiana.

Location:

Description:

• GSAT-10 is a 3-axis body stabilized geostationary satellite based on ISRO’s I-3K (I-3000) bus to provide communication services/augment the existing services. It carries 12 Normal C-band, 6 Extended C-band, 12 Ku-band transponders along with GAGAN (GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation) payload. The lift-off mass of the satellite is 3400 kg and it generates 6.0 kW of Power. The satellite will be located at 83ºE and will have a minimum operational life of 15 years.
• GSAT-10 is to become part of the Indian National Satellite (INSAT) system of geostationary spacecraft – representing one of the largest domestic communications satellite networks in the Asia-Pacific region.
  It will replace INSAT 2E and INSAT-3B.

Mission details:

• The launch was originally scheduled for September 21, 2012 but had to be postponed because of a technical glitch.
• Arianespace's VA209 mission, with Ariane 5ECA vehicle 565, was launched on Sep 28, 2012.
  The payloads were Astra 2F and GSAT-10. Astra 2F is an Astrium Eurostar 3000 for SES of Luxembourg; GSAT 10 is an I-3K class satellite built by and for the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), carrying C and Ku band comms payloads and the second GAGAN L-band navigation payload.
• About 31 minutes after lift off, GSAT-10 was injected into an elliptical Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), very close to the intended one. The orbital parameters of GSAT-10, as recorded, are:

  Parameter         Targeted Achieved
  Perigee (km) 250.85 250.92
  Apogee (km) 35,885 35,853
  Orbital Inclination with respect to Equatorial plane (deg) 6.001 5.998
  

• On September 30, 2012, the perigee of GSAT-10 was successfully raised from 250 km to 16,427 km and the inclination of its orbit was brought down to 1.7 deg from the earlier 5.998 deg by firing the satellite's Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) for 1 hour 55 minutes, using about 362 kg propellant.
  The current orbital parameters of GSAT-10 are:

  Parameter (Unit) Value
  Perigee (km) 16,427
  Apogee (km) 35,758.7
  Inclination (deg) 1.7
  Orbital Period 16 hours 3 minutes
  

• On October 1, 2012, the perigee of the satellite's orbit was successfully raised from 16,427 km to 31,822 km by using the satellite's Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) for close to 38 mins. The apogee of the orbit remained 35,734 km. The inclination of GSAT-10 with respect to equatorial plane has also been brought closer to the equator at 0.2 degree. Currently, the orbital period of GSAT-10 satellite is 22 hours 14 minutes.
• On October 3, 2012 the orbit of the GSAT-10 satellite was raised to 35,734 km apogee and 35,585 km perigee and an inclination of 0.172 degree.
  The two solar panels and the two dual gridded reflector antennas were also deployed later in the day.