ISRO’s CMS-01 Geosynchronous Satellite to enhance communication with India’s islands

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Thursday (Dec 17, 2020) launched the 52nd mission of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) code-named PSLV-C50 from Second launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR, Sriharikota.

This launch was to position CMS-01 Communication satellite in a geo-synchronous orbit. The PSLV rocket was used in the ‘XL’ configuration with 6 strap-on motors. CMS-01 satellite is intended to be inserted into the higher, extremely elliptical geosynchronous orbit at an inclination.

Role of CMS-01

According to ISRO, CMS-01 is designed to provide satellite-based telecommunication services in the extended-C band frequency spectrum to areas including the Indian mainland, Andaman Nicobar archipelago and Lakshadweep islands. The satellite-based communication shall enhance the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) support, Tele-education and various other telecommunication services. The satellite has been designed for an operational service life of greater than seven years and the satellite has a power generation capacity of 1500W.

Why is it important?

“A robust satellite link between the Indian mainland and the Islands shall strengthen maritime security and stability in the region through surveillance and faster response to alerts,” Milind Kulshreshtha, C4I expert says.

Island Communication Connectivity

“Given the strategic geographical location of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, having robust telecommunication connectivity is undeniably crucial from a strategic point of view. In August 2020, the project to lay the undersea cable measuring 2,313 km between Chennai and Port Blair was completed and Prime Minister inaugurated the launch of services. This undersea communications cable is laid on the seabed and transmits telecommunication from land-based stations at the two ends. At the archipelago end, the undersea cable links also inter-connects Port Blair to Havelock, Little Andaman, Car Nicobar, Kamorta, Great Nicobar, Long Island, and Rangat,” Milind Kulshreshtha, explains to Financial Express Online.

“The Law and Order and e-Governance shall get a boost as CMS-01 satellite connectivity assists in the overall development of the region in terms of infrastructure, connectivity and facilities. The high-speed broadband satellite communication system is always a cost-effective solution when compared to installing optical fibre cable in the challenging terrain in the Island. With India’s enhanced security role in the Indo-Pacific, especially as a part of multi-national Naval Task Force, tri-services Andaman Nicobar Command at Port Blair has gained greater importance,” he says.

Recently, Indian Navy has completed multiple maritime exercises in the Andaman Sea viz. Trilateral SITMEX-20 (India, Singapore and Thailand) and SIMBEX-20 (India and Singapore) Maritime Exercises.

“At Lakshadweep Islands, the Indian Navy has always maintained its presence since Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands occupy a strategic location in the Arabian Sea. A large number of shipping lanes exists near these islands which are required to be regularly monitored by Navy. The Naval Detachment (NAVDET) provides communication network connectivity with the mainland, enable Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOC) monitoring using radars and advance communication equipment,” adds the C4I expert.

What is Extended-C Band?

According to Mr Kulshreshtha, says, “The communication satellite shall operate in the Extended-C Band of the frequency spectrum. Usually, the higher frequency bands provide a wider bandwidth but these frequencies are mired by signal degradation like ‘rain fade’ where the signal is attenuated by atmospheric rain or ice.”

“The C band is ideal for supporting telecommunications and broadcasting services in tropical areas and marine areas to achieve stable communication links. In the downlink, interference to the C Band signal has been observed from the terrestrial communication networks. The signal received from the satellite is already weakened due to attenuation caused during the travel of 36,000 km from a geosynchronous orbit to Earth. With demand for establishing mobile 5G data network, the Frequency allocation plans are under review to open the lower C band for 5G applications as this portion of the spectrum provides 5G with more bandwidth than conventional lower mobile frequency bands,” country’s top most C4I expert explains.