SPACEX TO LAUNCH INDIA’S GSAT-20: BROADBAND SATELLITE MISSION

Why in the News?

  • New Space India Ltd. (NSIL), ISRO’s commercial arm, will launch GSAT-20 using SpaceX’s Falcon-9 in Q2 2024.
Source: PIB

About GSAT – 20 :

  • GSAT-20 is a high-throughput Ka-band satellite, fully owned by NSIL.
  • Weighing 4,700 kg, GSAT-20 offers Ka-Ka band HTS with 32 beams for pan-India coverage.
  • It provides an HTS capacity of nearly 48 Gbps, specifically designed for remote and unconnected regions.
  • GSAT-20 aims to offer cost-effective Ka-Ka band HTS capacity for broadband and cellular backhaul services.

NSIL’s Role and Future Plans:

  • NSIL, mandated under space sector reforms, successfully launched GSAT-24 in 2022 in a demand-driven mission.
  • SpaceX’s Falcon-9, known for reliability, will facilitate this launch as part of NSIL’s strategic agreements.
About New Space India Ltd (NSIL)

·   Establishment: Founded in 2019.

·   Government Entity: Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Government of India.

·   Administrative Control: Operates under the Department of Space.

·   Commercial Arm: Functions as the commercial subsidiary of ISRO.

·   Objective: Facilitates Indian industries in undertaking advanced space-related endeavours.

·   Headquarters: situated in Bengaluru.