GSAT-20 (also known as CMS-03 or GSAT-N2) is a communication satellite being developed by Indian Space Research Organization[4] and launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9.[3] The GSAT-20 satellite is funded, owned and operated by New Space India Limited.[5] The entire capacity onboard CMS-02 satellite was leased to Dish TV.[1][6] GSAT-20 is a continuation of GSAT series of communication satellites. The satellite is intended to add data transmission capacity to the communication infrastructure required by Smart Cities Mission of India.
| Mission type | Communication |
|---|---|
| Operator | New Space India Limited[1][2] |
| COSPAR ID | 2024-214A |
| SATCAT no. | 62028 |
| Mission duration | Planned: 14 years Elapsed: 22 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | I-3K Bus |
| Manufacturer | ISRO Satellite Centre Space Applications Centre |
| Launch mass | 4700 kg |
| Power | 2 solar array batteries |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 18 November 2024, 18:30 UTC[3] |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5[3] |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral, SLC‑40 |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geostationary |
| Longitude | 68° East |
Payload
The satellite features a Ka-band high-throughput communications payload with 70 Gbit/s[7] throughput utilizing 40 beams offering HTS capacity of nearly 48 Gbit/s.[8] Each beam has 2 polarisations, effectively making them 80 beams.[9]
Launch
The satellite was initially expected to be launched in 2024 on an LVM 3,[10][11][12] but shifted to Falcon 9 due to the satellite being 700 kg overweight for a successful launch on indigenous platforms.[13]
Hence, the commercial arm of ISRO, New Space India Limited signed a contract with SpaceX for a possible liftoff in the second quarter of 2024. The SpaceX deal is significant because India had previously relied on the France-led Arianespace consortium to launch its heavy communication satellites, including the now-retired Ariane 5, which ISRO was hoping to use as a backup. The fact that the next few launches of the Ariane 6, its successor having been both booked and delayed for launch, ISRO turned to SpaceX. India's own rockets lack the capacity for launching very heavy satellites to the geostationary orbit beyond 4-ton class, a problem that is planned to be fixed with the introduction of the NGLV.[14][15]
See also
References
- ^ a b Kumar, Chethan (18 February 2021). "Space PSU NSIL to launch satellite for TataSky". The Times of India. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- ^ "Annual Report 2017-18, Department of Space". ISRO.gov.in. Department of Space, Government of India. Archived from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
- ^ a b c "Falcon 9 Block 5 - GSAT-20". nextspaceflight.com. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ D.S, Madhumathi (1 May 2017). "GSAT-9 heralds cost-saving electric propulsion". The Hindu. Bengaluru. The Hindu. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
- ^ "News | NSIL". www.nsilindia.co.in. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Space PSU NSIL to launch GSAT-20 on SpaceX's Falcon 9 this year". The Times of India. 3 January 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ Nair, Avinash (17 May 2017). "ISRO's GSAT-trio to usher in high-speed internet era". The Indian Express. Ahmedabad. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
- ^ "GSAT-20". space.skyrocket.de. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
- ^ Vasudeva, Akshay (22 May 2017). "India to enter high-speed internet era with Isro's new satellites". India: mi.com. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
- ^ "ISRO planning to launch second development SSLV flight in Feb: S Somanath". Mint. 4 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
To facilitate in-flight connectivity for automobile services using the Ka-band the space agency is planning to launch the GSAT-20 high throughput satellite next year.
- ^ "Coming soon, higher internet speeds". @businessline. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- ^ "Annual Report 2018" (PDF). ISRO. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
- ^ "Falcon 9 Block 5 | GSAT-20". nextspaceflight.com. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "In A 1st, India To Launch Its Big Communications Satellite On SpaceX Rocket". NDTV.com. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ Bureau, The Hindu (3 January 2024). "ISRO's commercial arm to launch GSAT-20 satellite on SpaceX's Falcon-9 in 2024". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
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