No contact with satellite, Isro suspects power failure
ISRO has lost contact with its communications satellite GSAT-6A likely because of a power failure. It was launched on board the GSLV on March 29
NEW DELHI: Scientists from Indian Space Organisation (ISRO) are trying to figure out why they lost communication with the satellite on Saturday two days after its launch. Power failure is the most likely cause, according to officials. “When communication fails, the first thought is power failure, however one failure can trigger others, so we cannot be sure,” said a senior official from ISRO, on condition of anonymity. The satellite might have gone into a “safe mode.”
Unreachable
ISRO says communication with the satellite was lost when it was on course for the final orbiting manoeuvre. There was a long silence from the space agency on March 31 after the second orbit-raising operation was successfully carried out by firing the satellite’s engine for 53 minutes
There’s still hope
ISRO says it is trying to re-establish the link. When there is a power glitch, satellites usually go into a ‘safe mode’, according to ISRO chairman K Sivan. The GSAT-6A can be placed in its orbit only after the communication is re-established.
Satellite’s objective
The satellite is meant to assist the DRDO in its work on hand-held ground terminals that can be used by security forces in remote areas. The satellite has been launched to complement the GSAT-6, which was launched in 2015