MUMBAI: All systems go on the Indian Space Research Organisation's (Isro) next generation multi-purpose Insat-3A satellite. The satellite's perigee (closest point to the earth) was raised again today from 11,500 km to 32,750 km.
 

In its second orbit raising manoeuvre, conducted at 12 noon (IST) today, the 440 Newton Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) on board Insat-3A was fired for 53 minutes from the Master Control Facility (MCF), Hassan in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.

The satellite's apogee is 36,000 km and the inclination of the orbit with respect to the equatorial plane has been reduced from 0.9 deg to the present 0.1 deg. Insat-3A now has an orbital period of 22 hour, 40 minutes. The satellite will now be in the continuous radio visibility of MCF-Hassan.

Insat-3A was launched by Arianespace's Ariane-5 rocket on 10 April from Kourou, French Guiana, and the first orbit raising manoeuvre was carried out from MCF-Hassan yesterday. The satellite came within the radio visibility of MCF this morning at 5:50 am (IST), and all the necessary operations like earth acquisition and gyro calibration were carried out before the second orbit raising manoeuvre was started. All systems on board Insat-3A are functioning normally. Third apogee raising manoeuvre is planned on April 14, 2003, Isro has announced.