TL;DR
- SpaceX used its Falcon 9 rocket to launch the GSAT-N2 satellite at 12:01 AM IST on November 19 from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
- This marked the first collaboration between India’s national organization and Musk-owned SpaceX.
- The satellite will remain operational for 14 years, improving the connectivity in the remote areas of the subcontinent.
In a first for the country, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) collaborates with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to place its heavy communication satellite, the GSAT-20 (GSAT-N2), in the Geo-Synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). The satellite will enhance in-flight connectivity and broadband services across the country, including the Andaman Nicobar and the Lakshadweep islands.
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SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Lifted Off With GSAT-N2 Earlier Today
SpaceX used its Falcon 9 rocket to launch the GSAT-N2 satellite at 12:01 AM IST on November 19 from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. About half an hour later, SpaceX confirmed the deployment of the satellite into orbit from the Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40).
In a post through its official X (formerly known as Twitter) account, NewSpace India Limited (the commercial wing of ISRO) said that the “GSAT-N2″ weighing 4,700 kg has been injected into the desired Geo-Synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) and ISRO’s Master Control Facility has taken control of the satellite.” Further, NSIL confirmed that the satellite is in good health.
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GSAT-N2 Weighs Over 4,000 Kilograms
This marked the first collaboration between India’s national organization and Musk-owned SpaceX. As to why this took place, the heavy communication satellite GSAT-N2 weighs 4,700 kilograms, which is about 700 kilograms over the payload capacity of the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3), which is India’s most powerful launch vehicle.
Hence, the Department of Space under ISRO paid about Rs. 500 crore to SpaceX for placing the satellite in the required orbit. The satellite will remain operational for 14 years, improving the connectivity in the remote areas of the subcontinent. Notably, the GSAT-N2 is the second demand-driven satellite put in place by NewSpace India Limited.
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More About The GSAT-N2 Satellite
Per ISRO, the GSAT-N2 satellite has 32 user beams, eight of which will cover the Northeast region and 24 wide spot beams for the rest of the country, including the offshore islands. In total, the beams have a throughput of 48 Gbps (using the Ka-band frequencies between 27 and 40 GHz) and will be supported by hub stations on the ground.
The payload on the satellite consists of three parabolic 2.5-meter deployable reflectors with multiple feeds generating 32 spot beams over the Indian region. It is designed to improve broadband coverage, in-flight connectivity, and cater to the Maritime Telecom Connectivity (IFMC) service.
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