GSAT-5P, or GSAT-5 Prime, was 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 ...

which was lost in a launch failure in December 2010. Part of the Indian National Satellite System, it was intended to operate in

geosynchronous orbit A geosynchronous orbit (sometimes abbreviated GSO) is an Earth-centered orbit with an orbital period that matches Earth's rotation on its axis, 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds (one sidereal day). The synchronization of rotation and orbita ...

as a replacement for

INSAT-3E INSAT 3E is a defunct communication satellite built by Indian Space Research Organisation. It was launched on September 28, 2003, from the European Space Agency's spaceport in French Guiana on board the Ariane rocket. The satellite had a launch ...

Satellite

GSAT-5P was a spacecraft, which was built by the

Indian Space Research Organisation 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 ...

based on the

I-2K I-2K is a satellite bus developed by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and marketed by Antrix Corporation. It is a standard bus for 2,000 kg class satellites; the 'I' in I-2K stands for INSAT, a group of communication satellites develo ...

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 ...

. ISRO also launched the satellite, and was to have been responsible for its operation. It was equipped with 36

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 operating in the G/ H band of the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

-defined spectrum, or the C band of the older

IEEE The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operation ...

spectrum. Twelve of the transponders operated on extended frequencies within the band. GSAT-5P was expected to operate for at least 12 years, and would have been placed at a

longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east–west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek letter l ...

of 55 degrees east.

Launch

The launch of GSAT-5P used a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk.I,

serial number A serial number is a unique identifier assigned incrementally or sequentially to an item, to ''uniquely'' identify it. Serial numbers need not be strictly numerical. They may contain letters and other typographical symbols, or may consist enti ...

F06, and took place from the Second Launch Pad at 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 ...

. The rocket featured several modifications from previous flights, including an enlarged upper stage with more fuel to accommodate a heavier payload, and an enlarged

composite Composite or compositing may refer to: Materials * Composite material, a material that is made from several different substances ** Metal matrix composite, composed of metal and other parts ** Cermet, a composite of ceramic and metallic materials ...

payload fairing A payload fairing is a nose cone used to protect a spacecraft payload against the impact of dynamic pressure and aerodynamic heating during launch through an atmosphere. An additional function on some flights is to maintain the cleanroom environm ...

with a diameter of in place of the regular

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...

fairing. The launch was originally scheduled for 20 December 2010, but was delayed to allow a leaking valve on the upper stage to be repaired. Following the repair of the leak, the launch was rescheduled for 25 December 2010. The countdown began 06:34 UTC on 24 December 2010. and launch occurred at 10:34 UTC on 25 December.

Failure

Forty five seconds after launch the four liquid fuelled boosters attached to the first stage ceased responding to commands, resulting in a loss of control. Sixty three seconds into the flight, the

Range Safety Officer In the field of rocketry, range safety may be assured by a system which is intended to protect people and assets on both the rocket range and downrange in cases when a launch vehicle might endanger them. For a rocket deemed to be ''off course' ...

activated a self-destruct mechanism aboard the rocket, causing it to explode. Debris from the launch fell into the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between ...

. It was the second consecutive launch failure involving a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, following the loss of

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 ...

in April 2010.

References

{{Orbital launches in 2010 GSAT satellites Spacecraft launched in 2010 Satellite launch failures 2010 in India Spacecraft launched by GSLV rockets

Satellite

Launch

Failure

See also

References