INSAT-3C
Encyclopedia
INSAT-3C is a multipurpose satellite
built by ISRO and launched by Arianespace
in Jan 2002. INSAT-3C is the second satellite of the INSAT-3 series. All the transponders provide coverage over India.Insat-3C is controlled from the Master Control Facility at Hassan in Karnataka
.It will provide voice, video and digital data services to India and neighboring countries.
launch vehicle of Arianespace
at 5:17 am IST from Kourou
, French Guyana in South America
. INSAT-3C was placed into a Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), 21 minutes after the lift-off, in a 3-axis stabilised mode, with a perigee of 570 km and an apogee of 35,920 km and an inclination of 4° with respect to the equator. After 4 maneuvers INSAT-3C has been put in its final three axis stabilised mode on February 1, 2002.The orbit rising maneuvers were carried out in phases by firing the 440 Newton Liquid Apogee Motor(LAM)
. The satellite carried about 1.5 tonne of propellant (MMH (MonoMethylHydrazine)
and MON-3 (Mixed Oxides of Nitrogen)
) for orbit raising operations as well as for station keeping and in-orbit attitude control.INSAT-3C like all of its predecessors in the INSAT series has a 3-axis body stabilized spacecraft using momentum/reaction wheels earth sensors, sun sensors, inertial reference unit and magnetic torquers
.It is equipped with unified bi-propellant thrusters.
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
built by ISRO and launched by Arianespace
Arianespace
Arianespace SA is a French company founded in 1980 as the world's first commercial space transportation company. It undertakes the production, operation, and marketing of the Ariane 5 rocket launcher as part of the Ariane programme....
in Jan 2002. INSAT-3C is the second satellite of the INSAT-3 series. All the transponders provide coverage over India.Insat-3C is controlled from the Master Control Facility at Hassan in Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
.It will provide voice, video and digital data services to India and neighboring countries.
Launch
INSAT 3A was launched by the Ariane 4Ariane 4
Ariane 4 was an expendable launch system, designed by the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales and manufactured and marketed by its subsidiary Arianespace. Ariane 4 was justly known as the ‘workhorse’ of the Ariane family. Since its first flight on 15 June 1988 until the last, on 15 February 2003, it...
launch vehicle of Arianespace
Arianespace
Arianespace SA is a French company founded in 1980 as the world's first commercial space transportation company. It undertakes the production, operation, and marketing of the Ariane 5 rocket launcher as part of the Ariane programme....
at 5:17 am IST from Kourou
Kourou
Kourou is a commune in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America.Kourou is the location of the Guiana Space Centre, France and ESA's main spaceport.-Geography:...
, French Guyana in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. INSAT-3C was placed into a Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), 21 minutes after the lift-off, in a 3-axis stabilised mode, with a perigee of 570 km and an apogee of 35,920 km and an inclination of 4° with respect to the equator. After 4 maneuvers INSAT-3C has been put in its final three axis stabilised mode on February 1, 2002.The orbit rising maneuvers were carried out in phases by firing the 440 Newton Liquid Apogee Motor(LAM)
Apogee kick motor
An apogee kick motor refers to a rocket motor that is regularly employed on artificial satellites destined for a geostationary orbit. As the vast majority of geostationary satellite launches are carried out from spaceports at a significant distance away from Earth's equator, the carrier rocket...
. The satellite carried about 1.5 tonne of propellant (MMH (MonoMethylHydrazine)
Monomethylhydrazine
Monomethylhydrazine is a volatile hydrazine chemical with the chemical formula CH3 NH2. It is used as a rocket propellant in bipropellant rocket engines because it is hypergolic with various oxidizers such as nitrogen tetroxide and nitric acid...
and MON-3 (Mixed Oxides of Nitrogen)
Mixed Oxides of Nitrogen
Mixed oxides of nitrogen are solutions of nitric oxide in dinitrogen tetroxide/nitrogen dioxide . It may be used as an oxidizing agent in rocket propulsion systems. A broad range of compositions is available, and can be denoted as MONi, where i represents the percentage of nitric oxide in the...
) for orbit raising operations as well as for station keeping and in-orbit attitude control.INSAT-3C like all of its predecessors in the INSAT series has a 3-axis body stabilized spacecraft using momentum/reaction wheels earth sensors, sun sensors, inertial reference unit and magnetic torquers
Magnetorquer
In satellite systems, a magnetorquer or magnetic torquer is a system for attitude control, detumbling and stabilization built from electromagnetic coils...
.It is equipped with unified bi-propellant thrusters.
Payload
INSAT-3C, carrying Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) transponders, Broadcast Satellite Services (BSS) transponders & Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) transponders is intended to continue the service of INSAT-2DT and INSAT-2C which were nearing their end to life besides enhancing and augmenting the INSAT system capacity.- 24 Normal C-band transponders providing an EIRP of 37 dBW
- 6 Extended C-band transponders with EIRP of 37 dBW
- 2 S-band transponders to provide BSS services with 42 dBW EIRP
- 1 MSS transponder operating in S-band up-link and C-band downlink