ISRO Joins Hands With SpaceX To Launch Heavy Satellites With Help Of Falcon-9 Rocket

Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) commercial arm New Space India Limited on Wednesday joined hands with SpaceX by signing a deal to launch its advanced GSAT-20 heavy communications satellite. According to reports, the Department of Space and ISRO will use the Falcon-9 heavy lift launcher to send GSAT-20 heavy communications satellites into space. The satellite will take off from Florida probably in mid-2024.

However, the deal once again exposed Indian space agency's biggest weakness, of not having a big rocket that can lift big communication satellites.

ISRO Chairman S Somanath ISRO told the media that India had to go to SpaceX since there was 'no other rocket available in time.'

Till now, India relied heavily on France's Arianespace Consortium to launch its heavy satellites. According to the reports, India's own rockets can only launch lightweight satellites, but to cross the geostationary orbit with heavyweight beyond 4 tons India earlier relied on France and now bag it on SpaceX.

As per NSIL, the GSAT-20 satellite provides high-throughput capacity in the Ka-Ka band, featuring 32 beams that cover the entire nation, including Andaman & Nicobar, Jammu & Kashmir, and Lakshadweep islands. NSIL is overseeing the realization of GSAT-20 in collaboration with ISRO. Weighing 4700 kg, the satellite delivers an HTS capacity of nearly 48Gbps and is purposefully crafted to cater to the connectivity needs of remote and unconnected regions.

Dr. Radhakrishnan Durairaj, CMD of NSIL, has stated that this mission marks NSIL's second endeavor in a demand-oriented communication satellite mission, following the GSAT-24 mission, where the entire capacity was leased to Tata Play.