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The powerful new GSLV Mk III Indian rocket launches the GSAT-29 communications satellite on November 14, 2018.
Credit: ISRO
The most powerful Indian rocket made its second orbital flight on Wednesday (14 November), paving the way for a lunar robotic mission in January.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on Wednesday launched the geosynchronous satellite launch launcher Mark III (GSLV Mk III) from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota at 11:38 am EST (11:38 GMT). orbit.
"India has reached [a] important milestone with our heaviest launcher taking off from the heaviest satellite of Indian soil, "said ISRO President, K. Sivan, in a statement." The launcher has precisely placed the satellite in its planned orbit. I congratulate [the] The entire ISRO team for this achievement. "[EnPhotos:2etestd'essaidupluspuissantdesfuséesindiennesd'India![InPhotos:India'sMostPowerfulRocketAces2ndTestLaunch![EnPhotos:2etestd'essaidupluspuissantdesfuséesindiennesd'Inde![InPhotos:India’sMostPowerfulRocketAces2ndTestLaunch!]
The first GSLV Mk III orbital test in June 2017 was also successful. ISRO also launched an experimental version of the GLSV Mk III in 2014 to test a prototype space capsule designed to carry three astronauts in space. This mission was also successful, but it was a suborbital test and not an orbital test.
The powerful new India rocket GSLV Mk III launches the GSAT-29 communication satellite on November 14, 2018.
Credit: ISRO
After the success of Wednesday's flight, Indian authorities said the rocket was ready for operational flights, starting with the launch of the Chandrayaan-2 lunar lander. This takeoff is currently scheduled for January 30, according to Spaceflight Now.
Chandrayaan-2, India's second robotic mission on the moon, consists of an orbiter, a lander and a rover. This is a Chandrayaan-1 orbiter monitoring mission which, in 2009, confirmed the presence of water ice on the lunar surface.
India plans to launch Chandrayaan-2 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center.
The GSLV Mk III is an upgraded version of the GSLV Mk II from India and can carry around double the payload of its predecessor. The new rocket will also be used to launch the Gaganyaan satellite in India by December 2021, according to Spaceflight Now.
Over the next few days, three orbiting maneuvers will be performed to position the 6,913 lbs. (3,423 kilograms) of the GSAT-29 satellite in geostationary orbit approximately 36,000 kilometers (22,000 miles) above the equator. GSAT-29 "is a multibeam multi-band communication satellite, intended to serve as a test bench for several new and critical technologies," according to ISRO.
Specifically, the satellite payload includes a high resolution camera and optical communication technology. This technology will use laser communication links to relay information between ground and geostationary orbit much faster than conventional radio communications.
The launch of GSAT-29 "will help bridge the digital divide," said K. Pankaj Damodar, project director GSAT-29, in the same statement. "Several new generation payload technologies will soon be introduced to this mission."
The launch of Chandrayaan-2 will not be the next take-off of Indian soil. This is expected to arrive on November 26, when the country's polar satellite launch vehicle lofts the hyperspectral imaging satellite and multiple secondary payloads for the United States and other international partners.
Follow Samantha Mathewson @ Sam_Ashley13. follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
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