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Mahesh

20/11/24 09:12 AM IST

ISRO’s GSAT-N2 communication satellite

In News
  • Elon Musk led SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched India’s heavy communication satellite GSAT-20 (GSAT N-2) from Cape Canaveral in the US.
Features of the satellite
  • The GSAT N-2 satellite features ka-ka transponders of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), which is the commercial arm of ISRO.
  • Its capacity of 32 beams with 48 Gbps throughput will cover India, including Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands and cater to broadband and Inflight and Maritime Telecom Connectivity (IFMC) service needs of the country.
  • The NSIL, in a post on X said “GSAT-N2 weighing 4700 kg has been injected into the desired Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) and ISRO’s Master Control Facility (MCF) has taken control of the satellite. 
  • 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.
  • The GSAT-N2, with a lift-off mass of 4,700 kg, has a mission life of 14 years. It is the second demand-driven satellite of NSIL.
  • 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.
Why Falcon-9 rocket was chosen?
  • While ISRO’s Mark-3 launch vehicle can place up to 4,000 kg into a geostationary transfer orbit, the GSAT-N2’s weight of 4,700 kg required a different solution.
  • As a result, ISRO turned to SpaceX’s launch vehicle for the mission, marking ISRO’s first commercial collaboration with SpaceX.
Source- Indian Express

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