Chennai: In a big push to improve the broadband connectivity to rural and inaccessible gram panchayats in the country, the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) heaviest and most-advanced high throughput communication satellite GSAT-11 was successfully launched from the Spaceport in French Guiana during the early hours of Wednesday.
The launch vehicle Ariane 5 VA-246 lifted off from Kourou Launch Base, French Guiana
at 0207 hrs IST carrying India's GSAT-11 and South Korea's GEO-KOMPSAT-2A satellites,
as scheduled.
After a 30 minute flight, GSAT-11 separated from the Ariane-5 upper stage in an elliptical Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. ''The achieved orbit was very close to the intended one, an ISRO release said.
The 5,854-kg GSAT-11 would provide high data rate connectivity to users of Indian mainland
and islands through 32 user beams in Ku-band and eight hub beams in Ka-band.
GSAT-11 will boost the broadband connectivity to rural and inaccessible Gram Panchayats
in the country coming under the Bharat Net Project, which is part of Digital India Programme,?
ISRO Chairman Dr K Sivan said.
The Bharat Net Project aims to enhance the public welfare schemes like e-banking, e-health,