PSLV-C17 Lift-off, photo courtesy of the Indian Space Research Organisation
India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C17) has successfully launched the GSAT-12 communication satellite (July 15, 2011) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota. The launch of PSLV-C17 was the 18th successive successful flight of PSLV. After a smooth countdown, the vehicle lifted-off from the Second Launch Pad at the opening of the launch window at 16:48 hrs (IST). After about 20 minutes of flight time, GSAT-12 was successfully injected into sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (sub-GTO) with a perigee of 284 km and an apogee of 21,020 km with an orbital inclination of 17.9 deg.
The preliminary flight data indicates that all major flight events involving stage ignition and burnouts, performance of solid and liquid stages, indigenously developed advanced mission computers and telemetry systems have performed well. ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC)’s ground station at Biak, Indonesia, acquired the signals from GSAT-12 immediately after the injection of the satellite. The solar panels of the satellite were deployed automatically and the initial checks have indicated normal health of the satellite.
