ISRO Chairman says GSAT-11 recall 'not because they found a glitch', but that they wanted to do 'additional tests' to ensure its success (most likely to prevent another power bus failure of the kind GSAT-6A encountered earlier this month).The satellite is still in Guiana according to this report and an ISRO team is working out the modalities to bring it back to India.QuoteTalking to TOI, Isro chairman Dr K Sivan said, “Gsat-11 has been recalled from French Guiana not because of any glitch. We want to carry out more tests on the satellite to ensure its launch is glitchfree.”He said, “Our team in French Guiana is working on modalities to bring the satellite back to India. After all the tests and checks on Gsat-11 in India, we will decide on its next launch date.”Isro is taking all precautions for satellite launches especially after the agency lost communication link with its recently launched satellite Gsat-6A.Source
Talking to TOI, Isro chairman Dr K Sivan said, “Gsat-11 has been recalled from French Guiana not because of any glitch. We want to carry out more tests on the satellite to ensure its launch is glitchfree.”He said, “Our team in French Guiana is working on modalities to bring the satellite back to India. After all the tests and checks on Gsat-11 in India, we will decide on its next launch date.”Isro is taking all precautions for satellite launches especially after the agency lost communication link with its recently launched satellite Gsat-6A.
Isro chairman K Sivan said: "A committee of experts comprising former Isro chairmen advised us to bring back the satellite for more tests." Members of the committee said they wanted to resolve a number of "potential failures".
Former Isro chairman and committee head K Kasturirangan said: "There are some concerns from the previous mission that are not fully addressed. We'll run more tests on the ground and in the space simulation chamber. The tests will be related to certain redundancies in the power system."
The satellite will be subjected to repeated thermal vacuum tests, among other things. Most tests to be conducted at the Isro Satellite Centre here are related to the power system.
Is GSAT-11 back in India ?
Quote from: gongora on 05/06/2018 04:03 amAn AN-124 left Cayenne on the 3rd and is currently flying in a holding pattern near Bengaluru. I would guess that's the one taking GSAT-11 home.yes, it has left CSG
An AN-124 left Cayenne on the 3rd and is currently flying in a holding pattern near Bengaluru. I would guess that's the one taking GSAT-11 home.
"As for GSAT-11, there is no issue in the satellite. It has to undergo a critical pressure test. So, we brought it back (from Kourou, French Guyana). When we built the Mars Orbiter, because of the sensitive sensors in the spacecraft, we did not do that test for it. Somehow, since then, the critical pressure test was stopped for other satellites. It made sense for us to bring the satellite, do the test and make sure it will function well. After this, we will send the satellite for launch."
Talking to TOI, Isro chairman K Sivansaid, "We are currently doing tests on Gsat-11 at our Bengaluru's ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC). All tests, including test on its electrical circuits, are going to be over by May 17."He said, "If we find no anomaly, then we'll proceed further and start discussions with officials of Arianespace for the next launch date. They have their own busy schedule and we have to start talks to fix a date for our satellite launch."
Weighing six tonnes or the combined weight of six sedans, the heavyweight communications satellite GSAT-11 will usher in satellite-based Internet services for the first time a boon for rural India."This is our effort of providing a new capability to the country... Satellite-based Internet is only an indicator. We need connectivity from the Digital India perspective, especially to gram panchayat, talukas and the security forces," space agency ISRO Chairman AS Kiran Kumar told NDTV.
The GSAT-11 is equivalent to the combined power of almost all communications satellite sent into orbit by India. This single bird is like a constellation of 30 of the classical orbiting satellites.
Still no launch date fixed yet ?? 😳😳
At present, two communication satellites GSAT 20 and GSAT 11 are getting ready for their launch, he said.
French satellite launch firm Arianespace has shot off a letter to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), forcing on it a condition to launch India's GSAT-11 communication satellite that it will be launched only if ISRO sends two of its other communication satellites, GSAT-30 and 31, for Arianespace to launch, The New Indian Express has learnt from reliable sources.Arianespace has demanded that part of the payment for the two future launches be made before August 15, this paper has learnt.
This could push the launch cost of the satellites, something which could have been avoided. The launch of the two satellites by Arianespace is expected to cost Rs 950 crore. Indian Space Commission had sanctioned 960 crore towards design and manufacturing of GSAT-30, 31 and 32. Sources said following the letter sent to ISRO in mid-July, ISRO petitioned the commission seeking an additional 950 crore to launch GSAT-30 and 31 from Arianespace.ISRO has decided to increase the lift-off mass of the GSAT-30 and 31 satellites by an additional 500 kg to 3.1 tonnes. This situation, sources in the U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) (formerly ISRO Satellite Centre) said, has caused much bitterness among the senior Indian space scientists over extra costs incurred despite having the capability to launch these satellites indigenously from its launchpad at Sriharikota (80 km north of Chennai), using its GSLV-Mk III satellite launcher.
COSTLY OPPOSITION The opposition of former Space Applications Centre Director Tapan Mishra to this proposal by ISRO, succumbing to Arianespace, resulted in his subsequent transfer, say sources in ISRO. A highly placed ISRO official said, "Tapan Mishra, former Applications Director, was among those who had opposed the decision of increasing the weight of the satellites during the Contract Committee meeting soon after Arianespace had written the letter."ISRO has claimed it was seeking the services of the French firm due to "uprating failure" of the indigenously developed GSLV-Mk III to launch GSAT-30 and 31, which were scheduled to be launched on board the GSLV Mk III at 60% of the cost charged by Arianespace.
RECALLING SATELLITE WAS THE TRIGGER Sources in URSC said the decision to ship the satellite back to India was made despite opposition from directors of various ISRO divisions. The decision resulted in ISRO missing the launch date of an important communication satellite. Soon after, Arianespace said it could only provide a launch window at the end of 2019 as ISRO had missed its schedule. As ISRO was in a pickle with Arianespace, the French firm provided a new window of November 2018 for launch. Now, this delay and the missing of the May launch window due to the GSAT-11's recall to India has come as a gift for the French firm which appears to have decided to force ISRO into an agreement for launching two additional satellites. Sources said the directors had insisted that adequate care had already been taken to prevent a GSAT-6A-like failure on board GSAT-11 and that it was not necessary to ship the satellite back to India.
Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) will launch its heaviest satellite Gsat-11 weighing over 5.7 tonnes from the European spaceport in French Guiana on November 30. The communications satellite, which will help increase internet speed in the country, was earlier this year recalled from French Guiana in order to check for possible glitches.
Based on the advice of its senior scientists and experts, Isro not only recalled Gsat-11 from the European launchpad but also checked all components of the heaviest satellite, including the electrical circuit. Talking to TOI, Isro chairman K Sivan said, "After a series of negotiations, Arianespace has finally agreed to launch Gsat-11 this year itself and fix November 30 as the date of the launch."
The high-throughput satellite, which carries 40 transponders in the Ku-band and Ka-band frequencies, is capable of "providing high bandwidth connectivity" with up to 14 gigabit per second data transfer speed. The heavy-duty communication satellite is so massive that each solar panel is over four metres long, equivalent to the size of a big room.The satellite is meant to provide multi-spot beam coverage over the India mainland and nearby islands, bringing significant advantages to users when compared with the country's existing INSAT/Gsat satellite systems.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/we-averted-a-possible-debacle-isro-chairman/article24660014.eceQuoteContrary to a few reports, there was no pressure on ISRO nor were the two new launches a quid pro quo for taking GSAT-11 to space, he said. GSAT-31 and 30 would be signed this month only because launches with Arianespace must be committed four months before launch date that ISRO sought — before December 15 — he said.The national space agency had envisioned that its two GSLV rockets would fully take over geostationary orbit launches and that GSAT-11 — its heaviest to date and most ambitious for digital communication — would be its last satellite to go outside India for a launch. But early this year, it realised that upgrading a GSLV-Mk2 engine would need more time. The bigger Mark 3 was also not available in time.“We already knew that we have to look for outside launch again for these two satellites,” Dr. Sivan said.
Contrary to a few reports, there was no pressure on ISRO nor were the two new launches a quid pro quo for taking GSAT-11 to space, he said. GSAT-31 and 30 would be signed this month only because launches with Arianespace must be committed four months before launch date that ISRO sought — before December 15 — he said.The national space agency had envisioned that its two GSLV rockets would fully take over geostationary orbit launches and that GSAT-11 — its heaviest to date and most ambitious for digital communication — would be its last satellite to go outside India for a launch. But early this year, it realised that upgrading a GSLV-Mk2 engine would need more time. The bigger Mark 3 was also not available in time.“We already knew that we have to look for outside launch again for these two satellites,” Dr. Sivan said.