Elon Musk’s SpaceX successfully launched ISRO’s latest communication satellite, GSAT-N2, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in the early hours of November 19. The satellite was carried into orbit by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.According to New Space India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO, the satellite has been successfully placed into orbit.Deployment of @NSIL_India GSAT-N2 confirmed pic.twitter.com/AHYjp9Zn6S— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 18, 2024 “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. Preliminary data indicates satellite in good health,” NSIL posted on X (formerly Twitter).The Falcon 9 rocket launched at 12:01 AM from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral. This is India’s first collaboration with SpaceX.What is GSAT-N2?GSAT-N2 is a high-throughput communication satellite developed by NSIL to meet growing demand. Operating in the Ka-band with a capacity of 48 Gbps, it will significantly enhance broadband services and in-flight connectivity across the Indian region, NSIL said.The satellite has a mission life of 14 years. ISRO reports that the satellite is equipped with 32 user beams: 8 narrow spot beams covering the Northeast region and 24 wide spot beams for the rest of India.These beams will be supported by hub stations located across mainland India.In addition to boosting broadband services, GSAT-N2 will also provide critical support for Inflight and Maritime Telecom Connectivity (IFMC) across the country.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 spacecraft structure is based on the standard Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP)-based I4K bus.Why SpaceX?The question arises: Why did NSIL choose SpaceX for this mission?The main reason is the weight of the satellite.ISRO’s Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3), a reliable heavy-lift rocket, can carry satellites weighing up to 4 tonnes into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).The LVM3 has also been used for major missions, including the Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission. However, the LVM3 is limited to carrying payloads of up to 4 tonnes into GTO.In contrast, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has a higher capacity, capable of launching up to 8 tonnes into GTO, making it a better fit for this mission.Liftoff of GSAT-N2! pic.twitter.com/4JqOrQINzE— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 18, 2024 NSIL reportedly paid SpaceX Rs 500 crore for the launch. Previously, ISRO had partnered with France’s Arianespace for similar missions. However, Arianespace no longer had available launch slots, as the Ariane-5 rocket was retired last year, and slots for the new Ariane-6 rocket are fully booked.India does not consider using China’s commercial services and Russia is at war with Ukraine. This was the only viable option left for ISRO according to Economic Times.Former ISRO chief G Madhavan Nair said that India opted for a bigger launch vehicle to carry 4.7 tonne satellite because it did not have such a facility here.”ISRO has plans to double its next generation vehicles capacity, but we can’t wait unit then, so they opted for SpaceX,” he said.What is the Falcon 9 Rocket?The Falcon 9 is a reusable, two-stage rocket designed and built by SpaceX. It is capable of transporting both people and payloads safely and reliably into Earth’s orbit and beyond.According to SpaceX, “Falcon 9 is the world’s first orbital class reusable rocket. Reusability allows SpaceX to refly the most expensive parts of the rocket, which in turn drives down the cost of space access.”
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