GSAT-6 is an ISRO S-band communication satellite with a 6 m unfurlable antenna. GSLV-D6 launched it from Sriharikota in August 2015.
GSAT-6 provides S-band communication through five spot beams covering India for user links, plus one C-band beam for hub links. It was planned for multimedia services to mobile phones and vehicle receivers, and for strategic and social uses.
Its most striking part is a 6 m S-band antenna that unfolds in orbit, the largest satellite antenna ISRO had built. The spot beams reuse the same frequencies to fit more traffic into the spectrum. GSAT-6 was also the first Indian communication satellite with a 70 V power bus.
It weighed 2,117 kg at lift-off, of which 1,132 kg was propellant and 985 kg was the dry satellite. It generates 3,100 W and was designed for a nine-year life.
GSLV-D6 launched it from the Second Launch Pad at Sriharikota on 27 August 2015. This was the third GSLV flight carrying India's own cryogenic upper stage. From the transfer orbit, the Master Control Facility at Hassan fired the satellite's liquid apogee motor in stages to reach geostationary-orbit at 83° East.
The public satellite catalogue carries GSAT-6 with an operational flag.