India's latest communication satellite GSAT-17 launched

India's latest communication satellite GSAT-17 was on Thursday successfully launched by a heavy duty rocket of Arianespace from Kourou in French Guiana, adding teeth to its current fleet of 17 working communication satellites.

The GSAT series of geosynchronous satellites is a system developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) with an objective to make the country self-reliant in broadcasting services. The European launcher Arianespace Flight VA238 blasted off from Ariane Launch Complex No 3 (ELA 3) at Kourou, a French territory located in northeastern coast of South America at 2:45 am IST, a few minutes behind the scheduled time of 2:29 am.

The 3,477-kg GSAT-17 was injected shortly after orbiting co-passenger Hellas Sat 3-Inmarsat S EAN in a flawless flight lasting about 39 minutes.

"GSAT-17 successfully launched by Ariane-5 VA-238 from Kourou, French Guiana," the city-headquartered ISRO announced after the mission. The designed in-orbit operational life of GSAT-17 is about 15 years, it said.

ISRO's Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka took over the command and control of GSAT-17 immediately after its separation from the launch vehicle, and the preliminary health checks of the satellite revealed its normal functioning.

Configured around I-3K extended bus, GSAT-17 with a lift-off mass of about 3,477 kg carries payloads in Normal C- band, Extended C-band and S-band to provide various communication services.

It also carries equipment for meteorological data relay and satellite based search and rescue services being provided by earlier INSAT satellites.

GSAT-17 that will strengthen ISRO s current fleet of 17 telecommunications satellites was launched into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).

This was the third satellite launch mission by ISRO this month, the other two being first developmental flight of GSLV MkIII and PSLV C-38 missions--both from Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh.

GSLV MkIII successfully launched GSAT-19 satellite on June 5 while PSLV-C38 orbited Cartosat-2 Series satellite along with 30 co-passenger satellites on June 23 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

GSAT-17 is also ISRO's third communication satellite to successfully reach orbit in the past two months.

ISRO, which has been dependent on Ariane-5 rocket for carrying its heavier satellites, is developing GSLV Mk III for this purpose.

Announcing the successful launch of the satellite, Arianespace CEO Stephane Israel tweeted: "Confirmed: GSAT-17 has successfully separated from its #Ariane5 launcher #VA238 @ISRO."