SpaceX to Launch ISRO's Advanced Satellite Tonight, Enabling In-Flight Internet

At the stroke of midnight on Tuesday, India’s space agency, ISRO, will launch its most advanced communications satellite to date. The satellite, GSAT N-2 (also known as GSAT 20), is designed to provide broadband services to remote regions and offer in-flight internet for passenger aircraft. The 4,700 kg satellite will be lifted into space aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, marking a significant milestone in ISRO's partnership with SpaceX.

The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. SpaceX has leased the pad from the United States Space Force, a branch of the military established in 2019 to oversee the nation's space assets. GSAT N-2 is expected to have a mission life of 14 years.

The countdown will begin at 11:46 PM on Monday, with lift-off scheduled for 12:01 AM on Tuesday. If there are any delays, the launch will be rescheduled to 3:03 PM on Tuesday. The launch window is approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes, meaning the mission must be completed within this timeframe, or the next available window will be used.

This is the first time ISRO will launch a satellite aboard a SpaceX rocket through its commercial arm, NewSpace India Limited (NSIL). It is also the first satellite ISRO has developed to operate exclusively in the Ka-band frequency range (27 to 40 GHz), offering higher bandwidth and more efficient communications.

Indian space officials are already on-site at Cape Canaveral to oversee the launch, which will be dedicated to the GSAT N-2 with no other co-passenger payloads. A standard Falcon 9 B-5 rocket, 70 meters tall and weighing around 549 tonnes, will be used for the mission. The Falcon 9 is a two-stage, partially reusable rocket capable of lifting up to 8,300 kg to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) and 22,800 kg to low Earth orbit (LEO).

This launch marks the 19th flight of the Falcon 9's first-stage booster, which, after separation, will return to Earth and land on a drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. Falcon 9 has had a remarkable success rate, completing 395 missions with only four setbacks and a reliability rate of 99%.

Once GSAT N-2 reaches orbit, it will be controlled by ISRO’s Master Control Facility in Hassan, India, which will gradually raise the satellite to its final position 36,000 kilometres above Earth.

A dedicated Falcon 9 launch typically costs around $70 million, underlining the high value of this mission for both ISRO and SpaceX. The entire event will be broadcast live via SpaceX’s X (formerly Twitter) account.