ISRO Annual Report 2009-10 - Communication Satellites

The Annual Report provides a basic picture of the current updates related to the next spacecraft to be launched by India the GSAT-4.

Image Credit: Indian Space Research Organisation. Photo of the GSAT-4 entering the CATVAC

The 2200 kg GSAT-4 is a technology demonstrator carrying a communication payload, a regenerative transponder and navigation system. In addition the satellite will test:

• 4 Stationary Plasma Thrusters
• Bus Management Unit
• Miniaturised Dynamically Tuned Gyros
• 36 Ah Lithium ion battery
• 70 V bus
• on-board structural dynamic vibration beam accelerometer

Image Credit: Indian Space Research Organisation. One of the plasma thrusters mounted onto the frame of GSAT-4

The satellite had earlier also envisaged carrying the Israeli TAUVEX experiment but this has been postponed since the mass became higher.

The report says that the IST and thermovacuum tests have been completed successfully and is currently under going Spacecraft Dynamics and CATF tests. It is almost ready for shipment to Sriharikota for launch.

Later this year, HYLAS, GSAT-5P, GSAT-5 and GSAT-6 are planned for launch. The most interesting of the bunch is the 2200 kg unfurlable antenna of the GSAT-6, shown below:

Image Credit: Indian Space Research Organisation. Picture of the unfurlable antenna before being unfurled.

And then LO AND BEHOLD

Image Credit: Indian Space Research Organisation. The unfurled antenna. You can see the man standing at the side giving you an idea of how huge the satellite is!

GSAT-6 has a lift off mass of 2200 kg! The satellite will serve multimedia broadcasting and multimedia mobile phones!