GSAT-14 is an Indian

communications satellite A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Earth. C ...

launched in January 2014. It replaced the

GSAT-3 GSAT-3, also known as EDUSAT, was a communications satellite which was launched on 20 September 2004 by the Indian Space Research Organisation. EDUSAT is the first Indian satellite built exclusively to serve the educational sector. It is mainly ...

satellite, which was launched in 2004. GSAT-14 was launched by a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk.II, which incorporated an Indian-built cryogenic engine on the third stage.

Satellite

GSAT-14 is part of the

GSAT The GSAT (Geosynchronous Satellite) satellites are India's indigenously developed communications satellites, used for digital audio, data and video broadcasting. As of 5 December 2018, 20 GSAT satellites of ISRO have been launched out of which 14 ...

series of satellites. Constructed by

ISRO The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO; ) is the national space agency of India, headquartered in Bengaluru. It operates under the Department of Space (DOS) which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India, while the Chairman ...

, it is based around the I-2K

satellite bus A satellite bus (or spacecraft bus) is the main body and structural component of a satellite or spacecraft, in which the payload and all scientific instruments are held. Bus-derived satellites are opposed to specially produced satellites. Bus-d ...

, and has a dry mass of . With fuel, its mass is . The spacecraft has a design life of 12 years. The satellite carries six

Ku-band The Ku band () is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies from 12 to 18 gigahertz (GHz). The symbol is short for "K-under" (originally german: Kurz-unten), because it is the lower part of the ori ...

and six Extended C-band

transponder In telecommunications, a transponder is a device that, upon receiving a signal, emits a different signal in response. The term is a blend word, blend of ''transmitter'' and ''responder''. In air navigation or radio frequency identification, a T ...

s to provide coverage of the whole of India. The satellite is expected to provide enhanced broadcasting services over the GSAT-3 satellite. GSAT-14 also carries two

Ka-band The Ka band (pronounced as either "kay-ay band" or "ka band") is a portion of the microwave part of the electromagnetic spectrum defined as frequencies in the range 26.5–40 gigahertz (GHz), i.e. wavelengths from slightly over one centime ...

beacons which will be used to conduct research into how weather affects Ka-band satellite communications. Fibre optic gyro, active pixel sun sensor, round type bolometer and field programmable gate array based earth sensors and thermal control coating experiments are new technologies which were flown as experiments in the satellite. The satellite is powered by two

solar array A photovoltaic system, also PV system or solar power system, is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to absorb and ...

s, generating 2,600 watts of power.

Launch

A launch attempt on 19 August 2013, with a planned liftoff at 11:20 UTC (4:50 pm

local time Local time is the time observed in a specific locality. There is no canonical definition. Originally it was mean solar time, but since the introduction of time zones it is generally the time as determined by the time zone in effect, with daylight s ...

), was scrubbed following a reported second stage fuel leak. While the probe for the failure to launch was in progress, ISRO had decided to replace the liquid second stage (GS-2) with a new one. Deccan Herald 13 September 2013 In the process, all the four liquid strap-on stages were replaced with new ones. The satellite was launched from the Second Launch Pad of the

Satish Dhawan Space Centre Satish Dhawan Space Centre - SDSC (formerly Sriharikota Range - SHAR) is a rocket launch centre (spaceport) operated by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It is located in Sriharikota, Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh. Sriharikota R ...

, atop a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk.II (GSLV Mk.II) rocket at 10:48 UTC (16:18 local time) on 5 January 2014. The 29-hour countdown began on 4 January 2014. The flight marked India's forty-first satellite launch, the eighth launch of a GSLV, and the second flight of the Mk.II variant, whose maiden flight with

GSAT-4 GSAT-4, also known as HealthSat, was an experimental communication and navigation satellite launched in April 2010 by the Indian Space Research Organisation on the maiden flight of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk.II rocket. It failed ...

had failed in 2010. It ended a run of four consecutive GSLV launch failures which began with

INSAT-4C INSAT-4C was an Indian communications satellite which was lost in a launch failure in 2006. Had it reached orbit, it would have formed part of the Indian National Satellite System. Launched in 2007, it was intended to have operated in geostationar ...

in 2006. The launch marked the first successful flight test of the

CE-7.5 The CE-7.5 is a cryogenic rocket engine developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation to power the upper stage of its GSLV Mk-2 launch vehicle. The engine was developed as a part of the Cryogenic Upper Stage Project (CUSP). It replaced the ...

, India's first cryogenically fuelled rocket engine.

References

External links

ISRO Future Programmes

GSAT-14 ISRO official website

GSAT-14 Satish Dhawan Space Centre

GSAT-14 Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
{{Orbital launches in 2014 GSAT satellites Spacecraft launched in 2014 2014 in India Spacecraft launched by GSLV rockets