GSLV-MkIII-D2 lauch a Grand Success

ISRO's heavy-lift rocket GSLV-MkIII-D2 Wednesday successfully injected into orbit the country's latest communication satellite GSAT-29 that is intended to meet the communication needs of people in remote areas in the North East and Jammu and Kashmir. Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists for the successful launch, saying it would boost the communication services in the remotest corners of the country.

At the end of a 27-hour-countdown which commenced at 2.50pm Tuesday, the rocket blasted off at 5.08 pm from the spaceport at Sriharikota, over 100 km from Chennai. According to ISRO, this is the country's heavy-lift rocket's second developmental flight, the first being (GSLV-MkIII-D1) on June 5, 2017 which launched the GSAT-19. The 3,423 kg GSAT-29 carries Ka and Ku band high throughput transponders which will provide communication services to remote places in the North East and Jammu and Kashmir under the Centre's Digital India programme, ISRO chief K Sivan said. According to ISRO, this is the country's heavy-lift rocket's second developmental flight, the first being (GSLV-MkIII-D1) on June 5, 2017 which launched the GSAT-19.

ISRO scientists broke into cheers as the satellite was injected into a geosynchronous orbit, 16 minutes after lift-off.

Sivan said the country achieved a significant milestone following the successful launch and the injection of the satellite into the GTO was 'precise.' "I am extremely happy to declare that our heaviest launcher in its second mission has lifted the heaviest satellite, GSAT 29 from Indian soil, and after a majestic travel of 16 minutes, it precisely injected it into the intended Geo Transfer Orbit," he said. ISRO scientists had termed the launch crucial for the space agency as the rocket would be used for the ambitious Chandrayaan-2 and the country's manned space missions.

Sivan said while the launch vehicle's first operational mission was going to be "none other than Chandrayaan" in January 2019, "this fantastic vehicle is going to carry humans to space in three years from now." Sivan described GSLV-MkIII-D2, the launch vehicle that will be used to carry an Indian astronaut to space, as "excellent, reliable, simple." ISRO has set a 'target' of achieving the country's ambitious manned mission to space by 2021, with the first unmanned programme of 'Gaganyaan' planned for December 2020, he said.

Cyclone Gaja had clouded the launch plans but with it changing course and conducive weather conditions prevailing, the rocket blasted off on schedule.
The satellite would be placed in its final Geostationary Orbit using the on-board propulsion system and it may take a few days after separation from launcher to reach the orbital slot, ISRO said. The GSLV-MkIII-D2 is a three stage launch vehicle with two solid strap-ons, a liquid core stage and a cryogenic upper stage. Compared to solid and liquid stages, the C25 cryogenic stage is more efficient as well as complex. According to ISRO, the GSAT-29 satellite is intended to serve as a test bed for several new technologies. It is specifically designed to cater to communication requirements of users from remote areas of the country. The mission life is about 10 years. GSLV-MkIII is the fifth generation launch vehicle developed by ISRO and is designed to place satellites of upto 4,000 kg in GTO. The launch vehicle is the 67th launch mission from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota and the thirty-third communication satellite built by ISRO for which this will be the fifth launch this year.

PM and Vice Preseding Congratulate

"Congratulations to #ISRO scientists for successfully launching GSAT-29 communication satellite today, which will help in providing broadband connectivity in remote areas of Jammu & Kashmir and the North-Eastern States," the vice-president's secretariat said in a tweet.

Echoing similar sentiments, Modi said the satellite would provide communication and internet services to the remotest corners of the country. "My heartiest congratulations to our scientists on the successful launch of GSLV MK III-D2 carrying GSAT-29 satellite. The double success sets a new record of putting the heaviest satellite in orbit by an Indian launch vehicle," he tweeted.