GSAT-7 transponders successfully switched on by India

The Ministry of Space on Thursday confirmed that all the 11 communication transponders of GSAT-7, the country's advanced multi-band communication satellite, have been switched on successfully and are presently functioning normally.

GSAT-7 is now positioned at its designated orbital slot of longitude 74 degrees East in the geostationary orbit and In Orbit Testing (IOT) of the 11 transponders in progress.

On August 30, India successfully launched its first exclusive defence satellite GSAT-7 by European Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.

The 185-crore rupees GSAT-7, the country's maiden dedicated spacecraft for Defence applications, was launched during a 50-minute launch window which started at 2 am.

After a flight of almost 34 minutes, the satellite was injected into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.

The frequency bands of GSAT-7 will help space-based marine communications. It has coverage over the Indian landmass as well as surrounding seas.

Indian Navy would be the user of the multi-band home-built communication spacecraft, expected to be operational by September end.