India’s advanced GSAT-20 satellite has come under the control of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The new move came after a successful deployment by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
On Tuesday, the GSAT-20 satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Reportedly, the satellite aims to enhance broadband connectivity throughout India. In addition to this, the satellite will also focus on rural and remote regions for bringing in-flight internet services.
India’s GSAT-20 Satellite gets launched
On November 20, the initial communication and control of GSAT-20 were transferred to ISRO’s Master Control Facility (MCF) in Hassan, Karnataka. ISRO also confirmed that the satellite weighs about 4,700 kg and is in good health. It also stated that all the systems are fully functional.
Currently, the MCF teams are now executing a series of complex orbital manoeuvres to guide GSAT-20 from its transfer orbit to a geostationary orbit. The distance between the transfer orbit to a geostationary orbit will be at an altitude of about 36,000 kilometres. The MCF team will also keep a track on the satellite. They will continue to monitor and adjust the satellite’s positioning.
The space beyond
But what is the importance of this launch? GSAT-20 does represent an important achievement in India’s satellite communication capabilities. To support this, Dr Jitendra Singh, Ministry of Science and Technology, highlighted that the satellite can play an important role in extending internet services. This is for specially the regions which have limited connectivity options. The partnership with SpaceX for the launch also showcases India’s increasing involvement in space initiatives globally.
During the upcoming days, the satellite’s onboard propulsion system will be used for orbit-raising procedures. It is expected that this process can take about two weeks. After the satellite is in its final orbit, GSAT-20 will go through in-orbit testing. This process helps the scientists to verify the performance of its high-capacity Ka-band payload.
Furthermore, the payload has the capacity to deliver data transmission speeds up to 48 Gbps. This eventually helped to make GSAT-20 India as one of the most advanced communication satellites till date.