First, as announced on Wednesday by NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will launch a 4.7-tonne communications satellite onboard SpaceX’s Falcon-9 rocket in the second quarter of this year. According to the NSIL, the GSAT-20 communications satellite is intended to satisfy the nation’s requirements for cellular backhaul services, broadband, and in-flight and marine communications (IFMC). Rechristened GSAT-N2, the GSAT-20 will have 32 beams providing pan-India coverage, including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep, and a Ka-Ka band high throughput satellite (HTS) capacity. The NSIL stated, “Indian service providers have already secured a bulk of the HTS capacity on-board GSAT-20 satellite,” without naming the purchaser.
Due to the GSLV-Mk3 heavy satellite launch rocket’s capacity to place 4,000 kg of payloads into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), ISRO is now forced to look to SpaceX for Falcon 9 rocket launch services. “NSIL is realizing GSAT-20 satellite through ISRO and will be launched on-board Falcon-9 under a launch service contract between M/s NSIL and M/s SpaceX, USA,” the NSIL stated in a statement. SpaceX’s Falcon-9 can carry payloads weighing up to 8,300 kg into Deep Space Orbit. Up till now, ISRO has launched bigger satellites using the French corporation Arianespace’s services. The Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), which would be able to place a 10,000 kg payload in GTO, is currently being developed by ISRO.
“The 4,700 kg GSAT-20 has an HTS capacity of around 48 gpbs. According to the NSIL, the satellite was expressly created to satisfy the rigorous service requirements of isolated and unconnected areas. In June 2020, the government announced space sector reforms, including a mandate for NSIL to develop, launch, own, and operate satellites in “demand-driven mode” to satisfy customer service requirements. As part of this, M/s TataPlay fully guaranteed the satellite’s capacity for NSIL’s first demand-driven satellite mission, GSAT-24, which was successfully launched in June 2022. The GSAT-24 project was entirely financed by NSIL. NSIL now has 11 communication satellites in orbit that it owns and manages.
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