GSAT-8
Encyclopedia
GSAT-8 is communication satellite. It was constructed by the Indian Space Research Organisation
, as part of INSAT system. GSAT-8 was launched on May 21st, 2011 from Kourou
, French Guiana
. The rocket, an Ariane 5
was the carrier, marketed by the European Arianespace
.
to Cayenne – Rochambeau Airport in French Guiana
by an Antonov An-124
cargo aircraft. The success of the launch is said to have made up for the previous lose of two satellites on the indigenous GSLV rocket.
Indian Space Research Organisation
The Indian Space Research Organisation is an independent Indian governmental agency established in 1969 for the research and development of vehicles and activities for the exploration of space within and outside of Earth’s atmosphere. Headquartered in Bangalore...
, as part of INSAT system. GSAT-8 was launched on May 21st, 2011 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 Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
. The rocket, an Ariane 5
Ariane 5
Ariane 5 is, as a part of Ariane rocket family, an expendable launch system used to deliver payloads into geostationary transfer orbit or low Earth orbit . Ariane 5 rockets are manufactured under the authority of the European Space Agency and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales...
was the carrier, marketed by the European 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....
.
Launch
Prior to launch, the spacecraft was transported from IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to Cayenne – Rochambeau Airport in French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
by an Antonov An-124
Antonov An-124
The Antonov An-124 Ruslan is a strategic airlift jet aircraft. It was designed by the Ukrainian SSR's Antonov design bureau, then part of the Soviet Union. It is the world's largest ever serially-manufactured cargo airplane and world's second largest operating cargo aircraft...
cargo aircraft. The success of the launch is said to have made up for the previous lose of two satellites on the indigenous GSLV rocket.