The GSAT-20 satellite will be launched in the second quarter of the year for which
NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) will use SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket for the mission
launch. NSIL, the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) commercial arm
announced this today.
The mission of GSAT-20 satellite launch will be NSIL/ISRO’s first with the Falcon 9
heavy lift launcher. It is scheduled for the second quarter of 2024. The announcement
was made through a press release from the space organisation.
“NSIL is realising 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,”
NSIL.
Notably, SpaceX is a US-based satellite communications company that was founded
and is owned by Elon Musk, the world’s richest person. Musk also owns companies
such as EV maker Tesla, X (formerly Twitter), etc.
About GSAT-20
NSIL’s second ‘demand-driven’ satellite mission, GSAT-20 (renamed now as GSAT-N2)
is the ISRO arm’s second such mission. The first was GSAT-24 in June 2022.
GSAT-20 aims to offer cost-effective ‘Ka-Ka band’ HTS (High Throughput Satellite)
capacity, primarily for broadband and cellular backhaul service needs. It will cover the
entire country, going as far as both Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep.
These satellites are being developed as part of the government’s mandate to NSIL to
build, launch, own, and operate satellites in “Demand-driven mode” to meet service
needs of the user.
About SpaceX Falcon-9
World’s first ‘orbital class reusable rocket,’ Falcon 9 is a two-stage launch vehicle
designed for the ‘reliable and safe transport of people and payloads into Earth orbit
and beyond.’ It has undertaken 285 launches, 243 landings, and 217 re-flights till now.
Bengali