ISRO’s First Space Mission Of 2020 Successful; Telecommunications Satellite GSAT-30 Launched From French Guiana

Blasting off from the Earth's surface onboard the French Ariane-5 space vehicle, India's telecommunications satellite GSAT-30 has been successfully lifted to space and placed in Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit on Friday (17 January), reports Asian News International (ANI).

The launch marked Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s first space mission of 2020. The GSAT-30 would facilitate and aid a large array of services including DTH television, ATM connectivity, stock-exchanges and e-governance applications among others.

The launch flight lasted for 38 minutes and 25 seconds before the satellite weighing 3,357 kilograms separated from the space vehicle in an elliptical Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. GSAT-30 would now act as a replacement for ISRO's existing INSAT-4A spacecraft services with enhanced coverage.

The satellite is capable of not only providing flexible frequency segments and coverage which would enable it to provide communication services to the mainland India, islands as well as a number of Gulf and Asian nations and Australia.