ISRO launches GSAT 31 satellite from French

Guiana

Indian Space
Research Organisation
(ISRO) successfully
launched communication
satellite GSAT-31 from
French Guiana. It was
launched on board of
Ariane-5 rocket along with
Saudi Geostationary
Satellite
Hellas Sat 4 from Kourou Launch Base. This was 23rd successful launch of
Indian satellite by Ariane vehicle. In December, 2018 Arianespace had
launched India’s heaviest satellite Gsat-11 weighing 5,854 kg

GSAT-31

 It has lift-off mass of 2,535-kg. It will replace dying satellite INSAT-4CR and
will have mission life of 15 years. It will be located at Geosynchronous
Transfer Orbit (GTO).
 It is India’s 40th communication satellite and derives its heritage from ISROs
earlier INSAT/GSAT satellite series.
 It has been configured on ISRO's enhanced I-2K Bus for utilising maximum
bus capabilities of this type to offer seamless services.
 Eleven such satellites are already in operation, serving nation in space. They
together make one of the largest constellations of its class communication
satellites in the world.

Applications:

 It will provide continuity to operational services on some of in-orbit satellites

and augment Ku-band transponder capacity in Geostationary Orbit.
 It will also provide wide beam coverage to facilitate communication over large
oceanic region comprising large part of Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and
Indian Ocean using wide band transponder.
 GSAT-31 has a unique configuration of providing flexible frequency
segments and flexible coverage
 It will also provide transponder capacity for DTH television and connectivity
to services like VSATs for ATMs, stock-exchanges, Digital Satellite News
Gathering DSNG and e-governance applications.
 It will also be used for cellular backhaul connectivity and many such
applications of emerging telecommunication applications.

GSAT-30 is another geostationary satellite to be lofted soon by Arianespace

for ISRO some time in June-July from French Guiana .