GSAT-12 to be operational in eight weeks

The GSAT 12, India’s newest communication satellite, with 12 transponders on-board, in the extended C Band spectrum is set to become operational in about eight weeks.

Launched from the Satish Dhawan Spaceport of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at Sriharikota on July 15, aboard India’s the PSLV-C17, GSAT is now in a circular orbit at about 36,000 km above the earth.

Controllers at the Master Control Facility (MCF) in Hassan, on Thursday, deployed the 1.2 metre reflector antenna on the satellite. “Over the next four to six weeks, the transponders will be tested before the satellite is declared ready for commercial operation,” ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan told reporters at the MCF.

Radhakrishnan said the communication antenna onboard the satellite was deployed successfully on Thursday and the satellite was in its final orbital configuration, pointing towards Earth. GSAT-12 is now located 63 degree East longitude. The satellite would be moved to reach its designated longitude of 83 degree East within the next 16 days at the rate of one degree per day. It will be co-located with Insat-2E and Insat-4A Satellites.

Incidentally, GSAT-12 is meant to replace Insat 2E, which had a life span of 10 years but whose life has been extended by two years. The satellite was launched in 1999.

The communication transponders on-board would be switched on by August 6, followed by in-orbit testing. Radhakrishnan said after the satellite was parked at the location.

“The GSAT-12 satellite was in good health and on continuous radio-visibility from the MCF here,’’ he said.

The ISRO chief also told reporters here that the MCF had triggered the communication revolution in the country. It was the mainstay for controlling satellites. The two MCFs, in Hassan and Bhopal, have been controlling the constellation of Indian satellites. Hassan facility has taken the command and control of GSAT-12.

He also said the country faced a shortage of about 200 transponders and meeting the demand would be the main focus of the space agency. ISRO, he added, is not looking for business from foreign countries to build satellites.

The GSAT-10 will be launched in 2012, to further augment India’s capacity by 30 transponders. “We are also in talks with foreign agencies to hire transponders,’’ he said. ‘’We have unfulfilled demands. We have 86 leased transponders, and 151 transponders of our own in operation.”

“With GSAT-8 and GSAT-12, which were launched recently, 36 more transponders will be operational shortly,’’ he added.

Panic at MCF Meanwhile, alarm bells went off and there was some panic on the faces of the scientists at the MCF in Hassan following a momentary loss of communication from the GSAT-12. Signals from the satellite were lost for a few minutes due to solar activity.

There was a sigh of relief as the signals were restored.

Narrating the incident T K Alex, Director of ISRO Satellite Centre, said the communication was snapped due to bad weather and high radiation levels. ‘’It is a tireless job for scientists in the MCF as they have to keep watch round the clock to ensure people get seamless communication. In all, 300 people work in this place, with two-thirds of them being scientists. They work in three shifts 24x7,’’ he said.

He said soon after the alarm was triggered, the scientists took emergency corrective measures and the communication from the satellite to the MCF was restored within seconds.

The 53-acre MCF has various facilities to control the constellation of Indian satellites and has over 40 antennas, big and small. Its main facilities include Spacecraft Control Centre, Mission Control Center and Satellite Control Earth Stations.