Article Posted on : - Dec 08, 2014

The GSAT-16 satellite. An ISRO image

BENGALURU (PTI): A day after the successful launch of GSAT-16, the Liquid Apogee Motor of the communication satellite was fired Monday, in the first orbit raising manoeuvre.

"First Apogee Manoeuvre Firing has been successfully completed. The Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) fired for a duration of 6081 seconds. Propellant consumed is 877.6 kg. Initial ranging shows perigee (closest point to the earth) achieved is 16,005 km," Indian Space Research Organisation said on its Facebook page.

The orbit of the satellite will be raised to Geostationary Orbit of about 36,000 km altitude through three orbit raising manoeuvres by firing of GSAT-16's LAM Engine.

The satellite will be placed in the Geostationary Orbit by December 12 and subsequently its communication transponders will be switched on for in-orbit testing, ISRO said.

Boosting India's communication services, GSAT-16 was successfully launched by Ariane 5 rocket in the early hours Sunday from the space port of Kourou in French Guiana, after a delay of two days due to bad weather.

The satellite with 48 transponders is the largest ever carried by a communication spacecraft built by ISRO. It will boost public and private TV and radio services, large-scale Internet and telephone operations.