NEW DELHI:  ISRO has taken the help of SpaceX to launch India’s heaviest communication satellite GSAT-20. The GSAT-20 weighs 4,700 kg and will be launched on November 19 from SpaceX’s Falcon-9 rocket.

ISRO’s LVM-3 rocket does not have the capacity to carry so much load, due to which ISRO had to seek help from SpaceX. ISRO has started development of Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) to launch heavier satellites that will be able to carry payloads up to 30 tonnes.

Confirming this to TOI, Isro chairman S Somanath said, “SpaceX’s Falcon-9 will launch Isro’s Gsat-20, also called GSAT N-2, on Nov 19.”

Isro’s heavy lifter LVM-3, popularly known as ‘Bahubali’ or ‘Fat Boy’, can lift satellites weighing up to four tonnes into the geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). However, as Gsat-20 weighs more than four tonnes, Isro is seeking help from SpaceX for launching its satellite with its heavy-lifter Falcon-9 rocket, which can launch payloads of 8300 kg or 8.3 tonnes to GTO.

 

 

Isro was till now dependent on Arianespace to launch its heavier satellites, but the European space rocket at present lacked commercial slots for the Gsat-20 launch. T

his is because Arianespace’s Ariane-5 rocket retired last year and commercial satellite slots for the next few launches of its successor Ariane-6 are already booked. With Russia engaged in the Ukraine conflict and China’s commercial services never considered by India, SpaceX is the only reliable option for India.

 

The Gsat-20 or GSAT N-2,

continuation of the Gsat series of communication satellites, is funded, owned and operated by Isro’s commercial arm New Space India Ltd. The satellite, which has a mission life of 14 years,

features a Ka-band high-throughput communications payload with 70 Gbit/s throughput utilising 40 beams offering HTS capacity of nearly 48Gpbs. Each beam will have two polarisations, effectively making them 80 beams.

The satellite is intended to add data transmission capacity to the communication infrastructure required by the Union govt’s Smart City mission. It will also help enable in-flight internet connectivity.
The satellite was initially expected to be launched on an Isro’s LVM-3 rocket, but was later shifted to Falcon-9 due to the satellite being 700 kg overweight.

As India lacks a launcher for over four-tonne satellites, Isro has now fast-tracked the development of its Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV).

The Rs 8,240-crore NGLV program is designed to enhance payload capacity threefold compared to the current LVM3, while its cost will be only 1.5 times more. NGLV is designed to have a maximum payload capability of 30 tonnes to the Low Earth Orbit and will also have a reusable first stage. It will also be able to carry payloads around 10 tonnes to GTO.