New Delhi: The GSAT-17, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)’s latest communication satellite, was on Thursday successfully launched into space from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana using a heavy duty rocket Ariane-5 VA-238. "It is to provide continuity of Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) in Normal C and Upper Extended C bands as well as Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) in S-band and Data Relay and Search and Rescue services in UHF band - operating from a final orbital position of 93.5 degrees East," it said. Apart from communication services, it will relay meteorological and satellite-based data and help with rescue services, earlier provided by geostationary satellites called Indian National Satellite System or INSAT. GSAT-17 that will strengthen ISRO’s current fleet of 17 telecommunications satellites was launched into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).”

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The launch of GSAT-17 will be the third satellite launch by ISRO this month, the other two being the first developmental flight of GSLV MkIII and PSLV C-38 missions, both from Sriharikota spaceport. The recent launches by the space agency were GSAT-19 satellite on June 5 and the PSLV-C38 that orbited Cartosat-2 Series satellite along with 30 co-passenger satellites on June 23 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. After choosing Arianespace to launch its GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 satellites in 2015, ISRO has also selected Arianespace to launch its planned GSAT-11 satellite. For its seventh launch of 2017, and the fourth Ariane 5 mission in 2017 from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana, Arianespace will orbit two payloads: Hellas Sat 3-Inmarsat S EAN, a ‘condosat’ for Inmarsat and Hellas-Sat; and GSAT-17 for the Indian space agency ISRO.
ISRO launches communications satellite GSAT-17 from French Guiana.