India's Heaviest Communication Satellite GSAT-10 Successfully Launched

India successfully launched its heaviest advanced communication satellite -- GSAT-10 -- from the spaceport in French Guiana Saturday morning.

 “The launch of ISRO’s 101st space mission, GSAT-10 satellite has been a grand success,” the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said in a statement.

GSAT-10, which weighed 3,400 kg at liftoff, has mission life of 15 years and is expected to be functional by November. It will boost India’s telecommunication, Direct-To-Home and radio navigation services.

The Indian satellite was placed to the geostationary transfer orbit by Arianespace’s heavy lifting Ariane-5 ECA rocket. The rocket carried SES group’s ASTRA 2F satellite besides GSAT-10.

“After a flight of 30 minutes and 45 seconds, the GSAT-10 satellite has been injected into an elliptical Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), very close to the intended orbit,” the ISRO statement said.

The satellite is ISRO’s 101st space mission while it was the 65th launch for Arianespace’s heavy-lift workhorse.

“With this latest success, Arianespace has now lofted 15 spacecraft for ISRO, which designed, assembled and integrated GSAT-10 in Bangalore, India,” Arianespace said in a statement.

GSAT-10 carries 30 transponders as well as the GAGAN (GPS and GEO augmented navigation) system. It will provide Ku- and C-band relay capacity when it joins the Indian National Satellite (INSAT) system of geostationary spacecraft, Arianespace said.

GAGAN would provide improved accuracy of GPS signals to be used by the Airports Authority of India for civil aviation requirements, PTI reported.