39234 - GSAT-7

GSAT-7, is multi-band communication satellite carries transmitters in UHF, C-band and Ku-band. It is the first satellite by ISRO that provides services to the Indian defense forces, with the main user being the Indian Navy.

The 2,650-kg GSAT-7 is the last of ISRO's seven fourth-generation satellites. The multiple-band spacecraft will be used exclusively by the Navy to shore up secure, real-time communications among its warships, submarines, aircraft and land systems.

GSAT-7/ INSAT-4F is said to significantly improve the country's maritime security and intelligence gathering in a wide swath on the eastern and western flanks of the Indian Ocean. Around 2014-15, ISRO is expected to launch the second naval satellite, GSAT-7A.

The state-of-the-art satellite carries payloads operating in UHF, S, C and Ku bands, had a lift-off mass of 2625 kg, and is based on ISRO's 2500 kg satellite bus with some new elements, including the antennae.

After a flight of almost 34 minutes, the satellite was injected into a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) of 249 km perigee (nearest point to earth), 35,929 km apogee (farthest point to earth) and an inclination of 3.5 degrees with respect to the equator.

Facts in Brief

Launch Date: 2013-08-29
Launch Vehicle: Ariane 5 ECA
Launch Site: Kourou, French Guiana
Mass: 2650.0 kg