The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) free a short video with camera footage of its most recent satellite launch mission, the GSLV-F11/GSAT-7A mission, which productively placed a military announcement satellite for the Indian Air Force in orbit on 19 November.
The video starts with highlights of the GLSV's "perfect" lift-off from Sriharikota, captured by optical and infrared cameras till the final period fires up, and cruises to take GSAT-7A to Earth's geo-transfer orbit.
The second half of the video shows the same events captured using different cameras fixed to the GSLV rocket's different stages. We see glimpses of the first stage, a thin barrier between the first and second stages, and the GSLV's second stage fall off one after another from the GSLV with a beautiful view of Earth in the far distance.
As the GSLV tears from side to side the Earth's atmosphere at deafening speeds, we also see the heat safeguard and consignment fairing detach from the rocket, and the third and final stage of the GSLV separate and waft away carried by the cryogenic engine.
In the last few seconds of the video, the GSAT-7A satellite is also visible extrication from the cryogenic engine stage.
GSAT-7A is a 2.25-ton military infrastructure satellite built for the Indian Air Force. It is also the 35th Indian announcement satellite built by ISRO.
On 20 December, ISRO began the first of its many orbital manoeuvres using thrusters on the GSAT-7A to raise the satellite to its final orbit above Earth.
ISRO productively sent GSAT-7A, a military announcement satellite, to orbit on the GSLV-F11 rocket on 19 December. In a 20-minute launch sequence, the GSLV-F11 lifted off from the First Launch Pad (FLP) in Sriharikota and released the satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit at a 270 kilometer-altitude.
The satellite is expected to substantially boost the communication systems of the Indian Air Force (IAF), which will be the sole user of GSAT-7A's communication capabilities. It is designed to help interlink the Air Force's ground radar stations, bases and airborne early caution and control system (AWACS) aircraft. It will also be used to function the Indian Army's unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and drone operations.
With a successful GSAT-7A/GSLV-F11 mission, ISRO has completed three successful launches in 35 days.
