Big blow as ISRO loses contact with communication satellite GSAT-6A

Sriharikota: In a big disappointment to the country, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday lost contact with the GSAT-6A communication satellite which was launched on rocket GSLV-F08 on March 29.

The second orbit raising operation of GSAT-6A has been successfully carried out by Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) Engine firing for about 53 minutes on March 31, in the morning, the ISRO said in a statement.

But, after the successful long duration firings, when the satellite was on course to normal operating configuration for the third and the final firing, scheduled for April 1, communication from the satellite was lost, the space agency said on its website.

The ISRO is working to establish link with the 'lost' satellite.

In its biggest launch of home-made communications satellite, the ISRO on Thursday launched rocket GSLV-F08 carrying the GSAT-6A communication satellite from Sriharikota, about 110 kms from Chennai.

The main feature of the satellite was to provide mobile communication to India through multi beam coverage facility.

The satellite was designed to provide a platform for developing technologies such as demonstration of 6 m S-Band Unfurlable Antenna, handheld ground terminals and network management techniques that could be useful in satellite based mobile communication applications.

GSAT-6A, is similar to GSAT-6, a high power S-band communication satellite built on I-2K satellite bus with a mission life of about ten years.

(With PTI inputs)