MUMBAI: The Indian Space Research Organisation's (Isro) next generation multi-purpose Insat-3A satellite is now in its geostationary orbit.
 
 
In the third and final stage of orbit-raising operation conducted today at 09:39 am IST from Master Control Facility (MCF), Hassan, Insat-3A has been placed in its geostationary orbit (GSO). The manoeuvre was completed by firing the 440 Newton Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) on board the satellite for a duration of 3 minutes and 41 seconds.

The satellite has achieved an orbital period of 23 hours and 48 minutes and is continuously visible to the MCF, Hassan, ISRO has reported. Insat-3A is now moving towards its geostationary orbital slot with the planned drift rate of 2 degree per day. It is expected to reach its orbital slot of 93.5 degree East Longitude in the next five days.

The LAM, which was used to conduct Insat-3A orbit raising manoeuvres, has performed well. It enabled taking the satellite from its geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) (860 km perigee and 36,000 km apogee with an orbital inclination of 2 degree with respect to the equatorial plane) to its present 36,000 km circular orbit with zero degree inclination. The LAM was fired for a total duration of 130 minutes and 23 seconds in three phases on 11 April, 12 April and 14 April. A total velocity of 1.411 km per second was added by LAM at the Apogee point of the orbit to take the satellite from GTO to GSO.

The deployment of the solar array and the antenna is planned for tomorrow. All subsystems on the satellite are working normally.