GSAT–7, India's First Defence Satellite, Successfully Placed in the Geosynchronous Orbit

India’s advanced multi-band communication satellite GSAT-7, launched from Kourou, French Guiana on 30 August 2013, was successfully placed in the Geosynchronous Orbit with an altitude of about 36000 km above Earth’s surface on 3 September 2013. French Guiana is an overseas region of France on the North Atlantic coast of South America.

GSAT-7 was placed in the Geosynchronous Orbit after successfully completing the last of the three orbit-raising manoeuvres commanded from ISRO’s Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan. Later, on the same day, the communication antennae of GSAT-7, including the UHF Helix antenna, were deployed successfully. Thereafter, the GSAT-7 was put in its final orbital configuration, stabilised on its three-axis by the momentum wheels.


The GSAT-7 Satellite would reach its assigned orbital slot of 74 degree East longitude in the Geostationary Orbit within the next 10 days. It is planned that on 14 September 2013, the communication transponders in UHF, S, C and Ku bands will be switched on.

The GSLV Vehicle assembly and checkout would be completed at the Vehicle Assembly Building by the first week of December 2013 and the launch would take place by December 2013.

About GSAT–7

• It is an advanced communication satellite that will help by providing low bit rate voice to high bit rate data communication.
• Payload of the GSAT–7 is designed to provide communication capabilities to users in distant oceanic regions.
• Its solar arrays generate 2900 W of electrical power.

What is Geosynchronous Orbit?

Geosynchronous Orbit is also abbreviated as GSO. It is the orbit around Earth which has the orbital period of one sidereal day or around 23 hours 56 minutes and 4 seconds. This sidereal day matches the Earth's sidereal rotation period.

Do real-life friends make you happier than online friends?

Tired of keeping up relationships with all your real-life friends? Wondering if Facebook friends could substitute? Unfortunately, science has some bad news for you. Based on a survey of 5,000 Canadians, these researchers have concluded that having more real-life friends is positively correlated with reported happiness (also known as “subjective well-being”), even after controlling for things like income. In contrast, the number of online friends (i.e., friends on Facebook who you never interact with in real life) is totally uncorrelated with happiness. Married? You might be happier with fewer friends than those who are single. But perhaps the most surprising finding was this one: doubling the number of real-life friends had the same effect on happiness as a 50% pay increase! 

Comparing the Happiness Effects of Real and On-Line Friends

“A recent large Canadian survey permits us to compare face-to-face (‘real-life’) and on-line social networks as sources of subjective well-being. The sample of 5,000 is drawn randomly from an on-line pool of respondents, a group well placed to have and value on-line friendships. We find three key results. First, the number of real-life friends is positively correlated with subjective well-being (SWB) even after controlling for income, demographic variables and personality differences. Doubling the number of friends in real life has an equivalent effect on well-being as a 50% increase in income. Second, the size of online networks is largely uncorrelated with subjective well-being. Third, we find that real-life friends are much more important for people who are single, divorced, separated or widowed than they are for people who are married or living with a partner. Findings from large international surveys (the European Social Surveys 2002–2008) are used to confirm the importance of real-life social networks to SWB; they also indicate a significantly smaller value of social networks to married or partnered couples.”