Context:
NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is gearing up to launch GSAT-20 (GSAT-N2) using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 in 2024. Falcon 9, designed and built by SpaceX, is the world’s premier orbital class reusable two-stage rocket, ensuring secure and efficient transportation of payloads and individuals into Earth’s orbit and beyond.
Relevance:
GS III: Science and Technology
Dimensions of the Article:
- What is GSAT-20?
- What are the launch vehicles used by ISRO?
- NewSpace India Limited (NSIL)
What is GSAT-20?
- High Throughput Satellite (HTS): GSAT-20 operates in the Ka-band and serves as a high throughput satellite.
- The Ka-band refers to radio frequencies ranging from 27 to 40 GHz. It allows high-speed satellite data transfers with wide coverage through focused spot beams.
- Connectivity Focus: Launched to address India’s growing broadband communication needs, including providing internet connectivity, digital video transmission, and audio transmission.
- Comprehensive Coverage: Designed to offer comprehensive coverage across India, reaching remote regions such as Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands.
- Impressive Capacity: Boasts an HTS capacity of nearly 48Gbps, utilizing 32 beams tailored to meet the service demands of underserved areas and bridge connectivity gaps.
What are the launch vehicles used by ISRO?
| Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV): | Since its initial launch in 1994, PSLV has served as ISRO’s primary rocket. However, compared to those deployed in the 1990s, today’s PSLV is significantly more advanced and powerful. The PSLV is the most dependable rocket that ISRO has employed to date, with 52 of its 54 flights being successful. It is the first Indian launch vehicle to be fitted with liquid stages. It successfully launched two spacecraft that later travelled to the Moon and Mars, namely Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and Mars Orbiter Spacecraft in 2013. There are numerous variations of the two launch vehicles that ISRO currently utilises, the PSLV and GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle). |
| Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV): | The considerably more potent GSLV rocket is designed to lift heavier satellites farther into space. 18 missions have been completed by GSLV rockets to this point, four of them were unsuccessful. Lowering earth orbits may require satellites weighing 10,000 kg. The third stage of the GSLV Mk II is the indigenously developed Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS), and the Mk-III variants have rendered ISRO completely self-sufficient for launching its satellites. The European Arianne launch vehicle was previously utilised to carry its heavier satellites into orbit. |
| Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV): | SSLV is designed to provide affordable launch services for satellites up to 500 kg in response to the growing demand for small and micro-satellites around the world. It is intended to launch the indigenous EOS-03 earth observation satellite into orbit. |
NewSpace India Limited (NSIL)
- NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) is a Central Public Sector Enterprise that was established in 2019 by the Department of Space (DoS) in India. Here are some key points about NSIL:
- It is the second commercial entity of the DoS after Antrix Corporation Limited, which was set up in 1992 to market the products and services of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
- The mandate of NSIL is to transfer technology to the industry for producing commercially successful Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) spacecraft launchers.
- NSIL also outsources assembly of small satellites and the upcoming Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV).
- The objective of NSIL is to commercially exploit the research and development work done by ISRO centres and DoS constituents.
-Source: Indian Express
