Elon Musk’s SpaceX will launch India’s GSAT-20 communications satellite this week

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX will launch India’s GSAT-20 communications satellite this week, marking one more major achievement of the South Asian country in its space mission, media reports said.

This is going to be the first collaboration between SpaceX and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The launch is scheduled for November 19, 2024, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, reported India Today.

Radhakrishnan Durairaj, Chairman and Managing Director of New Space India Ltd (NSIL), the Bengaluru-based commercial arm of ISRO, told NDTV, “We got a good deal on this maiden launch with SpaceX.”

“The price for launching this particular satellite… the technical compatibility and also the commercial deals… I would say it was a good deal for us, for launching such a heavy satellite on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket,” he said.

GSAT-N2 (GSAT-20) is a Ka-band High throughput communication satellite of New Space India Limited (NSIL), a Government of India company under the Department of Space and the commercial arm of ISRO.
GSAT-N2 is the 2nd Demand Driven satellite of NSIL.

GSAT-N2 is set to enhance broadband services and in-flight connectivity (IFC) across the Indian region.

This satellite, 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, read the ISRO website.

GSAT-N2, with a lift-off mass of 4700 kg, has a mission life of 14 years.

The satellite is equipped with 32 user beams, comprising 8 narrow spot beams over the Northeast region and 24 wide spot beams over the rest of India.

These 32 beams will be supported by hub stations located within mainland India.

The Ka-Band HTS communication payload provides a throughput of approximately 48 Gbps.

The payload consists of three parabolic 2.5-meter deployable reflectors with multiple feeds generating 32 spot beams over the Indian region using a single feed per beam configuration.

This is going to be a major collaboration between the two space organisations after the US voted Donald Trump for a second innings in the White House.

Elon Musk is close to Trump and the President-elect even nominated him to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Musk was a staunch supporter of Trump.

He was also part of Trump’s Republican Presidential campaign.

Trump and Indian PM Narendra Modi shared a great bond and the Indian PM called him a ‘friend’ while wishing him after the recent Presidential poll victory.

Modi posted on X: “Heartiest congratulations my friend @realDonaldTrump on your historic election victory.”