India to launch GSAT 7 satellite for Indian Air Force

India will be launching GSAT 7A, a military communication satellite for the Indian Air Force (IAF), on December 19 with its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV Mk II) rocket, said Indian space agency.

According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), its GSLV rocket will launch the 2,250-kg communication satellite, GSAT-7A from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.

The Indian space agency said just over 19 minutes after GSLV rocket’s lift-off, GSAT 7A will be injected into a geosynchronous transfer orbit from where it would be lifted to its final geostationary orbit.

The satellite with a maximum life of eight years will be for the use of IAF. The satellite is built to provide communication capability to the users in Ku-band over the Indian region.

Earlier, ISRO had sent up GSAT 7 or Rukmini, a communication satellite, for use by the Indian Navy.