Sign In
Learn bits
Science & Tech.
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

More Related Current Affairs View All

17 Sep

Reasons Behind the heavy rain in Uttarakhand, Himachal

'Dehradun and several other districts in Uttarakhand have experienced very heavy rainfall over the past few days, triggering landslides in multiple areas and causing rivers to swel

Read More

08 Sep

Rajasthan’s coaching centre Bill

'The Rajasthan Coaching Centres (Control and Regulation) Bill, 2025, is a significant piece of legislation passed by the Rajasthan Assembly to regulate and oversee the state's burg

Read More

28 Aug

IADT-1

'Recently, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully carried out its first Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-1), a crucial milestone in the preparation for the countr

Read More

India’s First Ai-Driven Magazine Generator

Generate Your Custom Current Affairs Magazine using our AI in just 3 steps