March 11, 2026 04:31 pm (IST)
Follow us:
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
Supreme Court allows first-ever passive euthanasia for 32-year-old man in coma for 13 years
Wed, Mar 11 2026
LPG crisis hits metros: Commercial cylinder shortage triggers panic as govt prioritises domestic supply
Wed, Mar 11 2026
As Iran-US war disrupts global gas supply, India issues guidelines to manage shortages
Tue, Mar 10 2026
Mumbai dentistry student dies by suicide, note alleges mental harassment by boyfriend
Tue, Mar 10 2026
Kolkata: Mamata calls off dharna against SIR after five days, says ‘fight for justice’ will continue
Tue, Mar 10 2026
US: Dance video at WWII Memorial sparks outrage, Indian-origin man may face deportation
Tue, Mar 10 2026
'Most effective answer': Supreme Court says Uniform Civil Code key to ensuring equal rights for women
Tue, Mar 10 2026