GSAT-18
Mission type
Operator
41793
Website
Mission duration
Planned: 15 years
Elapsed: 7 years, 9 months, 6 days
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer
ISRO Satellite Centre
Space Applications Centre
Launch mass
3,404 kg (7,505 lb)[2]
Dry mass
1,480 kg (3,263 lb)[2]
Power
6,474 watts[2]
Start of mission
Launch date
5 October 2016 (2016-10-05), ≈20:30 UTC[3]
Rocket
Ariane 5 ECA, VA-231[1]
Launch site
Contractor
Orbital parameters
Reference system
Regime
Longitude
74° E
35,750 km (22,214 mi)
35,822 km (22,259 mi)
0.0616°
11 June 2017 01:46:00 UTC[4]
Transponders
Band
24 × C band
12 × extended C band
12 × Ku band
2 × Ku beacon
GSAT-18 is an Indian communications satellite. Built by ISRO and operated by INSAT, it carries 24 C-band, 12 extended C-band, and 12 Ku-band transponders.
The satellite was launched on 5 October 2016 at approximately 20:30 UTC aboard an Ariane 5 ECA rocket from the Guiana Space CentreinKourou, French Guiana.[3][5] The launch vehicle inserted the satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit, and once in service it will occupy the orbital slot at 74° East longitude.[1][6] The total cost of the satellite and launch services was about US$153 million.[7]
GSAT-18 was originally scheduled to launch on 12 July 2016 alongside Japan's Superbird-8 satellite, but a shipping mishap which damaged Superbird-8 forced a delay in the launch schedule.[8][9] Arianespace later paired GSAT-18 with Australia's Sky Muster II for a 4 October 2016 launch.[10] The launch was delayed 24 hours to 5 October due to excessively high crosswinds at the launch site.[11]
Orbit raising operations were made using an on-board LAM and chemical thrusters[2] to place the satellite in the intended geostationary orbital slot.
Op #
Date/
Time (UTC)
LAM burn time
Height achieved
Inclination
achieved
Orbital period
References
Apogee
Perigee
1
6 October 2016
10:16
6040.6 sec
35,802 km (22,246 mi)
14,843 km (9,223 mi)
1.325°
15 hrs, 36 mins
2
8 October 2016
05:59
-
35,840 km (22,270 mi)
32,518 km (20,206 mi)
0.129°
22 hrs, 34 mins
3
9 October 2016
04:51
256.17 sec
35,802 km (22,246 mi)
35,294 km (21,931 mi)
0.136°
23 hrs, 44 mins
Past
Active
Planned
Cancelled
Signs † indicate launch failures.
Satellites
Earth observation
Experimental
Navigation
Student satellites
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Astronomical
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January
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September
October
November
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Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ).
Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).
