GSAT-7


GSAT-7 or INSAT-4F is a multi-band military communications satellite developed by ISRO. The Indian Navy is the user of the multi-band communication spacecraft, which has been operational since September 2013. According to defense experts, the satellite will enable the navy to extend its blue water capabilities and stop relying on foreign satellites like Inmarsat, which provide communication services to its ships.

Satellite

GSAT-7, the multi-band communication satellite named Rukmini carries the payloads in UHF, C band and. It is the first dedicated military communication satellite built by ISRO that will provide services to the Indian defence forces with the main user being the Indian Navy. The GSAT-7 is the last of ISRO's seven fourth-generation satellites. Its foreign launch cost has been put at Rs. 480 crore, with the satellite costing Rs. 185 crore. The multiple-band spacecraft will be used exclusively by the Navy to shore up secure, real-time communications among its warships, submarines, aircraft and land systems. GSAT-7/ INSAT-4F is said to significantly improve the country's naval operations around the world. ISRO is expected to launch the second satellite, GSAT-7A, in the second half of 2018. GSAT 7a will be used by the Indian air force. The state-of-the-art GSAT 7 satellite carrying payloads operating in UHF, S, C and Ku bands, had a lift-off mass of and is based on ISRO's satellite bus with some new technological elements, including the antennae. After a flight of almost 34 minutes, the satellite was injected into a geosynchronous transfer orbit of perigee, apogee and an inclination of 3.5 degree with respect to the equator.

Launch

The satellite was launched early on 30 August 2013 atop an Ariane 5 ECA rocket from Kourou, French Guiana.
India's first dedicated military satellite was put into a geosynchronous orbit, about above Earth, five days after it was launched after three orbit-raising manoeuvres from ISRO's Master Control Facility at Hassan in Karnataka. The 2.5-tonne spacecraft's antennae, including the ultra high frequency Helix antenna were deployed before it was stabilised on its three-axis in the orbit. All of the on-board transponders were switched on successfully on September 18, 2013

Capability

Rukmini will provide networking capabilities to various Indian Naval assets. During Theater-level Readiness and Operational Exercise in the Bay of Bengal in 2014, Rukmini was able to network about 60 ships and 75 aircraft seamlessly. Rukmini has a nearly 2,000 nautical mile 'footprint' over the Indian Ocean Region.

Replacement

The Indian Navy placed an order for GSAT-7R on June 11, 2019. GSAT-7R is expected to be launched in 2020 to eventually replace GSAT-7.