INSAT-4B orbit raised further

Bangalore, Mar 14 (UNI) Indian communication satellite INSAT 4B was today manoeuvred to move close to the geosynchronous orbit by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) during the second orbit raising operations.

The satellite, which was in fine health, was commanded by the satellite controllers at the Master Control Facility (MCF) in Hassan in Karnataka to increase the perigee (closest point to earth) to 32,878 km by firing the Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) for 41 minutes, ISRO said in a release here.

The apogee (farthest point to earth) height remained at 35,736 km. The inclination of orbit with respect to the equatorial plane had been reduced to 0.19 deg. INSAT-4B now had an orbital period of 22 hours 41 minutes and would be in the continuous radio visibility of MCF, the ISRO said.

The next orbit manoeuvre to place INSAT-4B in near Geosynchronous Orbit was planned for March 16. Deployment of the two solar panels and two antennae would be carried out subsequently.

INSAT-4B was launched by the European Ariane-5 launch vehicle on March 12 from Kourou in French Guyana. In the first orbit raising manoeuvre yesterday, MCF had put INSAT-4B in an intermediate orbit of 14,244 km perigee and 35,752 km apogee and the orbital inclination had been reduced to 1.15 degree with respect to the equatorial plane.

UNI