Science and Technology Current Affairs Dec 2015 (Part 3)

Space Current Affairs

Japanese Rocket Launched its First Commercial Satellite

• Japan’s H-IIA rocket lifted-off from the launch pad at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima prefecture on November 24, 2015. It is Japan’s national space programme’s first commercial satellite as the country tries to enter this business which is dominated by European and Russian companies.
• The H-IIA rocket successful launched, carrying the TELSTAR 12V communications and broadcasting satellite for Canadian satellite operator Telesat. Japan wants to become a major player in the satellite launching business.
• The first commercial satellite launch was overseen by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. With this Japan has tried to improve the H-IIA rocket to cut the cost of each launch to make its programme competitive.

Russian Soyuz-2.1b Rocket Successfully Launched Tundra Satellite

• Russia successfully launched the first satellite for its newest early warning system, named EKS on November 17, 2015.
• A Soyuz-2.1b rocket, carrying the Tundra satellite, lifted from Site 43/4 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, located in Northern Russia.
• The satellite, earlier identified as 14F142, has successfully reached its targeted orbit and was designated Kosmos-2510. The Tundra spacecraft was built by the RKK Energia company, a Russian manufacturer of spacecraft and space station components.
• The satellite is probably based on the USP bus, weighing about metric 1.2 tonnes,’which was used mainly in the Yamal spacecraft series. The payload was provided by the Central Science and Research Institute ‘Kometa’. The satellite will be operated by the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces (VKO).

India’s Communication Satellite ‘GSAT-15’ Launched Successfully

• India’s latest communications satellite, GSAT-15, was launched successfully by the European Ariane 5 VA-227 launch Vehicle in the early hours of November 11, 2015.
• The 3164 kg GSAT-15 carries communication transponders in Ku-band and a GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) payload operating in L1 and L5 bands.
• GSAT-15 in an elliptical Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) with a perigee (nearest point to Earth) of 250 km and an apogee (farthest point to Earth) of 35819 km, inclined at an angle of 3.9° to the equator. The achieved orbit was very close to the intended one.
• ISRO’s Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka has taken over the command and control and the preliminary health checks of the satellite revealed its normal health.

Read also – Economy & Banking Current Affairs Nov 2015

China Launched New Communication Satellite

• China put a new communication satellite named ChinaSat 2C into orbit from the So’uth-Westem Xichang Satellite Launch Center on November 4, 2015. It was carried by the Long March-3B carrier rocket.
• It will provide radio, TV transmission and broadband services for the country’s radio stations, TV stations, radio transmitting stations,and’cable networks. The satellite was developed by the China Academy of Space Technology and is owned by China Satellite Communications Company Limited. This launch is the 216th mission of the Long March carrier rocket series developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

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