Will operate continuously for 14 years
This communication satellite will continue the GSAT series and add data transmission capacity to the necessary communication infrastructure for India’s smart city mission. The satellite is expected to operate for 14 years. The Indian space agency said, “The satellite is equipped with 32 user beams, including 8 narrow spot beams for the northeastern region and 24 wide spot beams for 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.” ISRO had chosen the French commercial launch service provider Arianespace for such heavy satellite launches; however, the company currently does not have an operational rocket that can launch such heavy payloads – 4,700 kg in the case of the GSAT-N2 satellite. India’s launch vehicle, LVM-3, can also carry a payload of up to 4,000 kg. Therefore, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket was chosen to launch the satellite.
