Isro successfully fires Liquid Apogee Motor of GSAT-16

A day after the successful launch of GSAT-16, the Liquid Apogee Motor of the communication satellite was fired today, in its first orbit raising manoeuvre. “First Apogee Manoeuvre Firing has been successfully completed. The Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) fired for a duration of 6081 seconds. Propellant consumed is 877.6 kg. Initial ranging shows perigee (closest point to the earth) achieved is 16,005 km,” the Indian Space Research Organisation said on its Facebook page. [caption id=“attachment_1839833” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image[/caption] The orbit of the satellite will be raised to a Geostationary Orbit of about 36,000 km altitude through three orbit raising manoeuvres by firing of GSAT-16’s LAM Engine. The satellite will be placed in orbit by 12 December and subsequently its communication transponders will be switched on for in-orbit testing, Isro said. Boosting India’s communication services, GSAT-16 was successfully launched by the Ariane 5 rocket in the early hours today from the space port of Kourou in French Guiana, after a delay of two days due to bad weather. The satellite with 48 transponders is the largest ever carried by a communication spacecraft built by Isro. It will boost public and private TV and radio services, large-scale Internet and telephone operations. PTI