India’s latest communication satellite GSAT-31 was successfully launched .GSAT-31 is the 40th communication satellite of India. It will replace the InSAT satellite which is nearing the end of its life.

• Weighing about 2,535 kg, the GSAT-31 will provide continuity to operational services on some of the in-orbit satellites. This satellite will augment the Ku-band transponder capacity in Geostationary Orbit, the space agency said.
• GSAT-31 has a unique configuration of providing flexible frequency segments and coverage. It will provide communication services to Indian mainland and island.
• GSAT-31 will be used for supporting VSAT networks, Television uplinks, Digital Satellite News Gathering, DTH-television services, cellular backhaul connectivity and many such applications.Mission life: 15years.
• Also provides wide beam coverage to facilitate communication over large oceanic region, comprising large parts of Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean, using a wide band transponder.
• GSAT-31 will be used for supporting VSAT networks, Television uplinks, Digital Satellite News Gathering, DTH-television services, cellular backhaul connectivity and many such applications.

                                                                        LEARNING WITH TIMES

ISRO: It was established with it’s headquarter at Bangalore in 1969. It functions under overall control of department of space.K. Sivan; the current Chairman of Space Commission, Secretary, Department of Space, Government of India.

A geosynchronous orbit is an orbit around the Earth, where the object orbits once per day. A common kind of geosynchronous orbit is called a geostationary orbit, where the object orbits above the same part of the Earth at all times. Geostationary satellites are launched into orbit in the same direction the Earth is spinning. When the satellite is in orbit at a specific altitude, it will exactly match the rotation of the Earth. The Earth actually takes 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.09 seconds to make one full revolution. So this would put the satellite at approximately 35,790 km above the Earth.

This is an extremely useful type of orbit and is used for anything where a satellite needs to send or receive signals from the same part of the Earth all the time. It’s used for cell phone satellites, television satellites, weather satellites, as well as some military satellites.