PM Modi lauds ISRO for successful launch of GSAT-11

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday lauded the scientists of Indian Space Reasearch Organization (ISRO) for successfully launching the heaviest and most-advanced high throughput communication satellite, GSAT-11.

In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister congratulated the scientists saying that the space program would transform the lives of crores of Indians by connecting remote areas. He further encouraged them to keep innovating and setting high standards of success.

"A major milestone for our space programme, which will transform the lives of crores of Indians by connecting remote areas! Congrats to @isro for the successful launch of GSAT-11, which is the heaviest, largest and most-advanced high throughput communication satellite of India," he wrote.

"India is proud of our scientists, who keep innovating and setting high standards of scale, achievements and succcess. Their remarkable work inspires every Indian. @isro," he said in another tweet.

ISRO successfully launched its heaviest and most-advanced high throughput communication satellite, GSAT-11, from the Spaceport in French Guiana in the wee hours of Wednesday.

The launch vehicle, Ariane 5 VA-246, lifted off from Kourou Launch Base at 2:07 AM (IST) carrying India's GSAT-11 and South Korea's GEO-KOMPSAT-2A satellites. Ariane 5 is one of three launch vehicles operated by Arianespace along with Soyuz and Vega.

After a 30-min flight, the GSAT-11 detached from the Ariane 5 upper stage in an elliptical Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit, achieving an orbit very close to the intended one.

The 5854-kg satellite will provide high data rate connectivity to users in the Indian mainland and islands through 32 user beams in the Ku-band and 8 hub beams in the Ka-band.

The scientists will undertake phase-wise orbit-raising manoeuvres in the following days to place the satellite in the Geostationary Orbit (36,000 km above the equator) using its onboard propulsion systems. The GSAT-11 will be positioned at 74-degree east longitude in the geostationary orbit.

Thereafter, the two solar arrays and four antenna reflectors of the GSAT-11 will be deployed into orbit. The satellite will be operational after the successful completion of all in-orbit tests.