India launches powerful GSAT-30 communication satellite

Bengaluru: India’s “high power” communication satellite, the GSAT-30, aimed at providing high-quality television, telecommunications and broadcasting services, was successfully launched onboard Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana in the early hours of Friday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said here.

With a mission life of 15 years, GSAT-30 is an operational communication satellite for DTH, television uplink and VSAT services.

Blasting off from the Ariane Launch Complex in Kourou, a French territory located in northeastern coast of South America at 2.35am (Indian Standard Time), European launch provider Arianespace’s Ariane 5 vehicle injected GSAT-30 into orbit in a flawless flight lasting about 38 minutes and 25 seconds.

The 3,357-kg satellite, which was deployed from the lower passenger position of Ariane-5 launch vehicle (VA 251) into a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), is configured on ISRO’s enhanced I-3K Bus structure to provide communication services from geostationary orbit in C and Ku bands.

The satellite derives its heritage from ISRO’s earlier INSAT/GSAT satellite series, and is equipped with 12 C and 12 Ku band transponders.

GSAT-30 is to serve as replacement to the “ageing” INSAT-4A spacecraft services with enhanced coverage, ISRO has said.

The Bengaluru-headquartered ISRO has said the communication payload of GSAT-30 is specifically designed and optimised to maximise the number of transponders on the spacecraft bus.

“GSAT-30 will provide DTH Television Services, connectivity to VSATs for ATM, stock-exchange, television uplinking and teleport services, Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG) and e-governance applications. The satellite will also be used for bulk data transfer for a host of emerging telecommunication applications,” Sivan said.

What is a transponder?

A transponder performs the functions of both transmitter and receiver (responder) in a communications satellite.

A communications satellite's transponder is the series of interconnected units that form a communications channel between the receiving and the transmitting antennas.

It is mainly used in satellite communication to transfer the received signals.