Launch News ISRO Launched India's Heaviest Rocket-GSLV Mk.III D1 with GSAT-19

[Nicholas Kang]

The GSLV Mk.3 took off on its first orbital test flight at 1158 GMT (7:58 a.m. EDT) Monday, flying from a launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Center on Sriharikota Island, India's main space base around 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Chennai.

The stubby two-stage rocket uses a new first stage design, uprated solid-fueled boosters, and an upgraded cryogenic hydrogen-fueled upper stage engine based on the Indian-made powerplant that flies on the smaller GSLV Mk.2 launch vehicle.

Launch video:

According to the Indian Space Research Organization, the GSLV Mk.3 can haul up to 8,800 pounds (4,000 kilograms) of payload to geostationary transfer orbit, the drop-off point for most communications satellites. For low Earth orbit missions going to altitudes of less than 400 miles (600 kilometers), the GSLV Mk.3 can deliver nearly 18,000 pounds (8,000 kilograms) of mass.

India's GSAT 19 communications satellite is encapsulated inside the GSLV Mk.3's nose cone, heading into space on a 10-year mission to support video broadcasting and data network applications. The spacecraft weighs 6,913 pounds (3,136 kilograms) with a full tank of propellant, making GSAT 19 the heaviest satellite ever launched from India.

About GSAT-19:

GSAT-19 satellite with a lift-off mass of 3136 kg, is the communication satellite of India, configured around the ISRO’s standard I-3K bus.

GSAT-19 carries Ka/Ku-band high throughput communication transponders. Besides, it carries a Geostationary Radiation Spectrometer (GRASP) payload to monitor and study the nature of charged particles and the influence of space radiation on satellites and their electronic components. GSAT-19 also features certain advanced spacecraft technologies including miniaturised heat pipe, fibre optic gyro, Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) accelerometer, Ku-band TTC transponder, as well an indigenous Lithium-ion Battery.

For further information:

ISRO

Gallery

BBC News Article (With funny cartoon illustrations)

Spaceflightnow.com

Nasaspaceflight.com

Well done, ISRO! :thumbup:

 

[Loru]

I must say I like the looks of the rocket. With bit longer upper stage and different fairing it'd look even more stunning.

 

[boogabooga]

Looks a bit like Titan or Ariane.