May 04, 2026 01:13 am (IST)
PM Modi lauds scientists for success of GSAT-16
New Delhi, Dec 7 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday praised the scientists for the success of GSAT-16 launch.
"Kudos to our scientists for the successful launch of GSAT-16. The communication satellite will become a major asset for our space programme," said the Prime Minister.
In a significant development, India's latest communication satellite GSAT-16 was successfully placed in orbit by Ariane-5 rocket in the early hours on Sunday from the space port of Kourou in French Guiana.
"India's communication satellite, GSAT-16, was successfully launched at 0210 hrs IST today (December 7, 2014) by the Ariane-5 launch vehicle VA221 of Arianespace from Kourou, French Guiana. Ariane-5 precisely placed GSAT-16 into the intended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), after a flight of 32 minutes and 20.4 Seconds duration," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said in a statement.
ISRO's Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka started acquiring the signal from the satellite at 0241 hrs IST and the commanding of the satellite was initiated.
Initial checks have indicated normal health of the satellite.
The present orbit of the satellite will be raised to Geostationary Orbit of about 36,000 km altitude through three orbit raising manoeuvres by the firing of GSAT-16's Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) Engine.
Preparations are underway for the first firing, planned in the early hours of Monday.
The satellite will be placed in the Geostationary Orbit by Dec 12, 2014 and subsequently the satellite's communication transponders will be switched on for in-orbit testing.
Meanwhile, the ISRO had announced that after the successful launch, GSAT-16 is in good health. ISRO's Master Control Facility at Hassan has taken over the control of the satellite.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Latest Headlines
Power battle nears climax: Vote counting today in Bengal, TN, Kerala, Assam, Puducherry
Sun, May 03 2026
Extremely distressing: PM Modi reacts to Delhi fire tragedy, announces relief for victims
Sun, May 03 2026
Delhi judge, 30, found dead at home; police suspect suicide amid family dispute claims
Sun, May 03 2026
Mid-taxi chaos: Passenger opens exit door, jumps from Air Arabia flight at Chennai airport
Sun, May 03 2026
Indian LPG tanker pulls off rare Hormuz crossing amid US blockade, boosting supply hopes
Sun, May 03 2026
Delhi fire horror: 9 dead, several rescued after blaze tears through residential building
Sun, May 03 2026
