ISRO Launches India’s 42nd Communication Satellite CMS-01

ISRO launches India’s 42nd communication satellite CMS-01

Context

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched the country’s 42nd communication satellite named CMS-01.
This is the second satellite launched by the space organisation amid the prevailing coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.

A communications satellite envisaged for providing services in extended C Band of the frequency spectrum and its coverage will include the Indian mainland and the Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands, the ISRO.
The satellite is expected to have a life of over seven years.
It was injected precisely into its pre-defined sub- geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).
CMS-01 is considered to be a replacement of the aged satellite GSAT-12.
It provides services like tele-education, tele-medicine, disaster management support and Satellite Internet access.
The satellite will be the first in a new series of communication satellites by India after the GSAT and INSAT series.
The last satellite launched by ISRO was called Earth Observation Satellite (EOS) 01. The new satellite is to function as a replacement for the GSAT-12, which was launched in 2011, and is in orbit still.

Back to Basics

Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO)

A geosynchronous transfer orbit or geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) is a type of geocentric orbit.
Satellites which are destined for geosynchronous (GSO) or geostationary orbit (GEO) are (almost) always put into a GTO as an intermediate step for reaching their final orbit.
A GTO is highly elliptic.
Its perigee (closest point to Earth) is typically as high as low Earth orbit (LEO), while its apogee (furthest point from Earth) is as high as geostationary (or equally, a geosynchronous) orbit.

Communication Satellites

The Indian National Satellite (INSAT) system is one of the largest domestic communication satellite systems in Asia-Pacific region with nine operational communication satellites placed in Geo-stationary orbit.
Established in 1983 with commissioning of INSAT-1B, it initiated a major revolution in India’s communications sector and sustained the same later.
GSAT-17 joins the constellation of INSAT System consisting 15 operational satellites, namely – INSAT-3A, 3C, 4A, 4B, 4CR and GSAT-6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 18.
The INSAT system with more than 200 transponders in the C, Extended C and Ku-bands provides services to telecommunications, television broadcasting, satellite newsgathering, societal applications, weather forecasting, disaster warning and Search and Rescue operations.

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