Nellore: The stage was set for the launch of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)-F08 with communication satellite-GSAT-6A on board from the second launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) on Thursday at 4.56 pm. Mission Readiness Review Committee headed by Dr B.N. Suresh and Launch Authorisation Board led by SDSC director P. Kunhi Krishnan gave green signal to the launch. The 27-hour-long countdown would commence at 1.56 pm on Wednesday for the launch the next evening.
GSLV-F08 Mark II was the largest launch vehicle developed by the country and was currently in operation. According to the Isro engineers, GSLV-F08 was the 12th flight of GSLV and the sixth flight with indigenous cryogenic stage. The 49.1-metre-long and 415.6 tonne rocket would place GSAT-6A into geostationary orbit at 36,000 km height. This fourth generation launch vehicle was a three-stage one with four liquid strapons.
The indigenously developed cryogenic upper stage (CUS), which was flight proven, formed the third stage of GSLV Mk II. The GSAT-6A provided mobile communication for the country through multi-beam coverage facility. It would also provide a platform for developing technologies such as demonstration of 6 m S-Band unfurlable antenna, handheld ground terminals and network management techniques that could be useful in satellite based mobile communication applications.
Soon after its injection into GTO, the two solar arrays of GSAT-6 A would be deployed automatically and the master control facility Hassan in Karnataka would take control of the satellite. Subsequently, its orbit was raised to the final circular geostationary orbit (GSO) by firing the satellite’s liquid apogee motor (LAM) three times.
