Wow! India is a busy space faring nation. This was India's 7th launch this year alone.
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India has successfully squeezed a seventh launch into the year, using an upgraded version of the country's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle to place a massive communications satellite into orbit for the Indian Air Force today (Dec. 19).
That communications satellite, called the GSAT-7A, weighs nearly 5,000 lbs. (2250 kilograms) and will allow the Indian Air Force to manage all of its space communications itself, rather than paying for satellite services, according to reporting by The Times of India.
"This mission, both in the launch vehicle as well as the satellite, there are so many firsts," K. Sivan, chair of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), told Spaceflight Now.
Read more:
India Launches Hefty Communications Satellite Into Orbit to Cap Busy 2018
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India has successfully squeezed a seventh launch into the year, using an upgraded version of the country's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle to place a massive communications satellite into orbit for the Indian Air Force today (Dec. 19).
That communications satellite, called the GSAT-7A, weighs nearly 5,000 lbs. (2250 kilograms) and will allow the Indian Air Force to manage all of its space communications itself, rather than paying for satellite services, according to reporting by The Times of India.
"This mission, both in the launch vehicle as well as the satellite, there are so many firsts," K. Sivan, chair of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), told Spaceflight Now.
Read more:
India Launches Hefty Communications Satellite Into Orbit to Cap Busy 2018
