In the first mission of the year for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), India’s forty-first communication satellite – GSAT 30 – was on Friday launched by the European commercial launcher Arianespace.
The satellite will enhance television broadcasting, satellite-based news gathering, and direct-to-home services.
India's communication satellite #GSAT30 was successfully launched into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit by #Ariane5 #VA251.
Thanks for your support !!!
For details please visit: https://t.co/FveT3dGuo6
Image Courtesy: Arianespace pic.twitter.com/67csn0zZq7
— ISRO (@isro) January 16, 2020
Confirming the successful launch, Arianespace CEO Stéphane Israël tweeted, “A strong start to 2020 as #Ariane5 successfully deploys its two satellite passengers – EUTELSAT KONNECT and GSAT-30 – into geostationary transfer orbit! I appreciate the trust from the two customers on this mission: @Eutelsat_SA and @ISRO #VA251 #MissiontoSuccess.”
A strong start to 2020 as #Ariane5 successfully deploys its two satellite passengers – EUTELSAT KONNECT and GSAT-30 – into geostationary transfer orbit! I appreciate the trust from the two customers on this mission: @Eutelsat_SA and @ISRO #VA251 #MissiontoSuccess pic.twitter.com/bL2DG2fuem
— Stéphane Israël (@arianespaceceo) January 16, 2020
The satellite provides extended coverage in C-band, which is used by broadcasters to beam their programmes over India, Gulf and Asian countries, and Australia.
The satellite has a mission life of 15 years. It will join the 19 communication satellites that are currently operational.
The mission comes over a month after the previous PSLV mission that put in orbit one Indian Earth Observation Satellite along with nine customer satellites.
