New Delhi, February 6: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday launched India’s latest communication satellite, GSAT-31 from the Spaceport in French Guiana at 2:31 am. This is the 40th communication satellite that ISRO launched from the spaceport in Kourou, a French territory located in the northeastern coast of South America. Reports inform that the satellite was placed into the orbit within 42 minutes of its launch from Ariane Launch Complex at Kourou. ISRO Mumbai Exhibition: Satellite Aditya to be Launched Soon, Scientists Aim to Complete Mission 'Gaganyaan' Before 2022 Deadline.

The GSAT-31 satellite with a mission life of 15 years will provide continuity to operational services on some of the in-orbit satellites. ISRO stated that the satellite also augments the Ku-band transponder capacity in Geostationary Orbit. In a statement, the ISRO said the satellite, weighing about 2,535 kg was launched onboard the Ariane-5 (VA247) from Kourou in French Guiana. ISRO Successfully Launches India’s Heaviest and Most Powerful Satellite GSAT-11 From French Guiana; All You Need to Know.

Take a look at GSAT-31 lift-off video:

Take a Look at the Features of GSAT-31:

GSAT-31 Satellite:

  1. The satellite will also provide wide beam coverage to facilitate communication over a large oceanic region comprising a large part of the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean using a wideband transponder, ISRO said.

  2. The agency added that two Ku-band beacon downlink signals are transmitted for ground tracking purpose.

  3. The GSAT-31 will also be used for supporting VSAT networks, television uplinks, digital satellite news gathering, DTH television services, cellular backhaul connectivity and many such applications.

  4. The GSAT-31 satellite with a mission life of 15 years will provide continuity to operational services on some of the in-orbit satellites.

According to a statement by ISRO, the satellite GSAT-31 is configured on ISRO's enhanced I-2K Bus, utilising the maximum bus capabilities of this type. The satellite derives its heritage from ISRO's earlier INSAT/GSAT satellite series. The satellite provides Indian mainland and island coverage.

According to Arianespace, it opened its 2019 mission activity by successfully orbiting a pair of telecommunications spacecraft - Saudi Geostationary Satellite 1/Hellas Sat 4 (HS-4/SGS-1) and GSAT-31 with Ariane 5 rocket, a report by IANS stated. After the successful launch, Arianespace CEO Stéphane IsraAl said, 'For the first Ariane 5 launch of the year, our heavyweight vehicle has once more performed flawlessly'.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 06, 2019 08:44 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).