GSAT-N2: GSAT-N2 in orbit, says SpaceX; satellite to boost communications infrastructure

Share This Post


India’s high throughout communication satellite GSAT-N2 has been successfully placed in orbit by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, Elon Musk’s space tech firm and the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (Isro) commercial arm NSIL said in a series of social media posts early on Tuesday.

“Deployment of @NSIL_India GSAT-N2 confirmed,” SpaceX said in a post on microblogging site X at 12.36 am on Tuesday. Shortly after, NSIL posted, “Successfully into the orbit.”

The 4,700-kg satellite, launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, has been injected into the desired geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) and Isro’s Master Control Facility (MCF) has taken control of the satellite, NSIL said. “Preliminary data indicates the satellite is in good health,” it added.

GSAT-N2 (GSAT-20), a Ka-band high throughput communication satellite, is a continuation of Isro’s GSAT series of communication satellites.

The satellite is meant to increase the country’s capacity for data transmission, which is necessary for the government’s Smart City initiative.


GSAT-N2, with 48 Gbps throughput capacity over India, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep, would cater to broadband and In-flight and Maritime Connectivity (IFMC) service needs of the country.

Discover the stories of your interest


It is the second demand-driven satellite of NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), a government company under the Department of Space, mandated to build, launch, own and operate satellites in a “demand-driven mode” to meet the service needs of users.GSAT-N2, featuring multiple spot beams and wideband Ka x Ka transponders, aims to support a large subscriber base with small user terminals, significantly boosting system throughput through its multi-beam architecture, which allows frequency reuse.

The satellite has a mission life of 14 years. It is equipped with 32 user beams, comprising eight narrow spot beams over the Northeast region and 24 wide spot beams over the rest of India.

The previous Isro spacecraft launched on a US launch vehicle was Insat-1D, back in 1990.

Isro’s LVM-3 rocket can launch satellites up to four tonnes into a GTO. However, GSAT-N2 weighed more than that and the space agency requested SpaceX to launch it using a Falcon-9 rocket that can deliver payloads of 8.3 tonnes or 8,300 kg to a GTO.

Isro is developing a next generation launch vehicle (NGLV) to address its inability to launch satellites over four tonnes. With a budget of Rs 8,240 crore, NGLV aims to triple the payload capacity of the current LVM-3. It will feature a reusable first stage and carry up to 30 tonnes to low earth orbit (LEO) and up to 10 tonnes to GTO. The vehicle is designed to be cost-effective, with its cost being only 1.5 times higher than the LVM-3.



Source link

spot_img

Related Posts

spot_img