What is GSAT-N2 (GSAT-20)?

About GSAT-N2 (GSAT-20):

• It is India’s advanced communication satellite.
• It was developed by New Space India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO under the Department of Space.
• It was launched onboard SpaceX’s Falcon-9 rocket into a geosynchronous transfer orbit.
• It is designed to provide data and internet services to remote regions and enable in-flight Internet connectivity across the Indian subcontinent.
• It will provide significant data transmission capacity, particularly for India's Smart Cities Mission.
• Features:
  • It is a high-throughput communication satellite operating in the Ka-band.
  • The satellite is equipped with multiple spot beams and is designed to support a large user base, utilizing small user terminals. 
  • GSAT-N2 features 32 user beams—8 narrow spot beams over the Northeast region and 24 wide spot beams covering the rest of India.
  • These beams will be supported by hub stations across mainland India.
  • The satellite’s Ka-band high-throughput communication payload provides a throughput of around 48 Gbps.
  • The GSAT-N2 satellite, with a lift-off mass of 4,700 kg, has a mission life of 14 years.
  • This is India’s highest throughput satellite and the only one exclusively operating in the highly sought-after Ka-band.

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.

Q1: What is a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO)?

A GTO is a highly elliptical orbit used to transfer a spacecraft from a low Earth orbit (LEO) to a geosynchronous orbit (GEO). GEO is a circular orbit around Earth where the satellite matches Earth's rotation period, making it appear stationary relative to the ground.

News: SpaceX’s Falcon-9 deploys India’s GSAT-N2 satellite into orbit