Sriharikota: Isro’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-D6 on Thursday successfully placed its most advanced GSAT-6 satellite in its designated orbit.
In its ninth flight, the GSLV-D6 took off flawlessly from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, 90 km from Nellore in AP.
This was the third time that the indigenously developed Cryogenic Upper Stage was being carried on-board.
A previous attempt, GSLV-D3, had failed in 2010, but the second, GSLV-D5, launched in January 2014, was successful. Isro chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar said that the success of the GSLV in January last year was not a flash in the pan.
He said that they were slowly mastering the complex cryogenic engines. The CUS flown in GSLV-D6 was designated CUS-06.
A cryogenic rocket stage is more efficient and provides more thrust for every kilogramme of propellant it burns, compared to solid and earth-storable liquid propellant rocket stages.
The satellite will provide S-band communication services, mostly to the defence sector. The solar panels were deployed 100 seconds after the launch and started generating power.
