Indian Rocket Blasts Off With Communication Satellite GSAT-12

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According to the latest news reports from Sriharikota, an Indian rocket carrying the latest communication satellite, GSAT-12 was blasted off from the space port yesterday at 4.48 pm, under a cloudy sky about 80 kms north of Chennai. The project was undertaken by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the rocket built for this mission was the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C17 (PSLV-C17) that cost them a whopping Rs 90 Crore. The rocket was carrying the GSAT-12 communication satellite that has 12 extended C-band transponders - automatic receivers and transmitters that will be used for the purpose of communication and broadcast of signals. 

Image source: http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/7/2011071620110716033400348788209b6/Indian-rocket-blasts-off-with-communication-satellite.html

The satellite is expected to have a life span of about eight years and will augment the transponder capacity of the National Satellite System (INSAT), which at present comprises of eight satellites. The satellite is to serve the Very Small Aperture Terminal (V-Sat) sector that are generally used to transmit data like point of sale transactions or to provide satellite internet access. 

They also hope to use it for various communication services like the tele-education, tele-medicine and for other village resource centres.

The launch of the rocket PSLV was a success, according to the Indian Space agency chief K. Radhakrishnan who said, "I am extremely happy to state that the PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle)-C17 GSAT-12 mission is successful. The satellite was launched in the intended orbit.”

“Within the next 30 minutes information about the GSAT 12’s health and how it is working will be known,” he told cheering scientists at the launch site, 80 kilometres north of Tamil Nadu’s capital Chennai.

News Source: Mumbai Mirror