The United States’ Cape Canaveral will launch the GSAT-N2. This 4,700 kg ISRO-made satellite was too heavy for Indian rockets to transport, so it was launched commercially abroad.
The “first buddy”of US President-elect Donald Trump, SpaceX, is the first conspicuous recipient of a multi-million dollar contract signed by India’s space agency. India’s most advanced communications satellite, GSAT-20, also known as GSAT N-2, is scheduled to launch early next week on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
This is the first of many commercial partnerships between SpaceX and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Although some claim that ISRO and SpaceX are rivals for low-cost launches, there is no denying that SpaceX leads the global commercial space market by a wide margin.
The fact that Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are close friends and refer to each other as “my friend” is well known. Elon Musk, the trailblazing businessman, claims to be “a fan of Modi” and is friends with both of them. Critics of either Washington, DC, or New Delhi cannot point to “crony capitalism” because the space launch’s optics and timing are perfect, but the deals, incidentally, predate the outcome of the US election.
The United States’ Cape Canaveral will launch the GSAT-N2. Made by ISRO, this 4,700 kg satellite was too heavy for Indian rockets to carry, hence the foreign commercial launch. At most, the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 or India’s own rocket “The Bahubali” could have lifted 4,000–4,100 kg into a geostationary transfer orbit.
Up until now, India had relied on Arianespace to launch its heavy satellites, but since it currently lacks any working rockets, SpaceX was its only safe choice. India cannot use Chinese rockets, and Russia cannot use its rockets for commercial launches because of the conflict in Ukraine.
According to Radhakrishnan Durairaj, Chairman and Managing Director of New Space India Ltd. (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO based in Bengaluru, “We got a good deal on this maiden launch with SpaceX,” he told NDTV.
He stated, “I would say it was a good deal for us for launching such a heavy satellite on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, given the price for launching this particular satellite… the technical compatibility and also the commercial deals.”
GSAT-N2, built by ISRO, has a 14,700-kg lift-off mass and a 14-year mission life. NSIL is leading this entirely commercial launch. The satellite has 32 user beams, including 24 wide spot beams over the rest of India and 8 narrow spot beams over the northeast. Within mainland India, hub stations will support these 32 beams. Additionally, it will facilitate Internet access while in flight.
Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential candidate, would head the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), according to news agency ANI.
In a June 21, 2023, meeting with Prime Minister Modi, Elon Musk, a supporter of the Prime Minister, expressed his excitement about India’s future. Of all the big nations in the world, India has the most promise. Since he is encouraging us to make large investments in India, PM Modi clearly cares about the country. I like Modi. I really like him, and we had a great meeting.”
The cost of the Falcon 9 rocket’s single, dedicated commercial launch to raise India’s communications satellite is projected to be between $60 and $70 million.
In recent months, the CEO of Tesla has been requesting that India grant SpaceX a license to use its Starlink constellation to offer satellite-based Internet services in India. “I look forward to bringing Starlink to India, where it will help remote villages,” Elon Musk said in June 2023.
Elon Musk-owned Starlink has not yet complied with security standards, according to Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who stated this week that a licence for satellite communications services will only be granted once all requirements for services in India have been met. According to the minister, the satellite communication services major is currently fulfilling all the prerequisites and will receive a licence upon completion.
“If Starlink complies with all requirements, we would be more than pleased to grant them a licence. You must approach it from a security standpoint, ensuring that all security issues are taken care of. We will gladly give it to them when they do that. They are obviously working on it,” Mr. Scindia stated.
Additionally, India has signed a new commercial agreement with Houston-based Axiom Space to send an Indian astronaut aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon human space flight system to the International Space Station. The estimated cost of that deal is $60 million. Given that four astronauts will be sharing the flight, SpaceX’s earnings from the astronaut’s mission could be significantly lower.