spacetoday.net: GSLV launches Indian experimental satellite

Posted: Thu, May 8, 2003, 1:32 PM ET (1732 GMT)
GSLV prior to launch of GSAT-2 (ISRO)

An Indian Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) successfully launched an experimental communications satellite on Thursday. The GSLV lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 7:28 am EDT (1128 GMT) and placed the GSAT-2 spacecraft into geosynchronous transfer orbit 17 minutes later. GSAT-2 is an 1825-kilogram experimental spacecraft developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) carrying several C- and Ku-band transponders as well as a mobile satellite services payload. The spacecraft also carries experiments to measure the radiation environment around the spacecraft, study solar flares at x-ray wavelengths, and conduct measurements of the Earth's ionosphere. The launch is the second for the GSLV, ISRO's most powerful booster developed to date, and the first GSLV flight since April 2001. India hopes to eventually use versions of the GSLV to launch satellites that today must be launched on other vehicles, such as Europe's Ariane 5, as well as compete for commercial launch contracts.