{"id":9968,"date":"2024-11-18T18:05:22","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T10:05:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-launches-indias-gsat-n2-satellite-on-falcon-9-rocket-from-cape-canaveral\/"},"modified":"2024-11-18T18:05:22","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T10:05:22","slug":"spacex-launches-indias-gsat-n2-satellite-on-falcon-9-rocket-from-cape-canaveral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-launches-indias-gsat-n2-satellite-on-falcon-9-rocket-from-cape-canaveral\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX launches India\u2019s GSAT-N2 satellite on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_67976\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-67976\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-67976\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241118_GSAT-N2_launch_MC-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"584\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241118_GSAT-N2_launch_MC-1.jpeg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241118_GSAT-N2_launch_MC-1-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241118_GSAT-N2_launch_MC-1-678x452.jpeg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241118_GSAT-N2_launch_MC-1-768x512.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-67976\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) on the GSAT-N2 \/ GSAT-20 mission on Nov. 18, 2024. Image: Michael Cain\/Spaceflight Now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>SpaceX launched its third Falcon 9 rocket in less than 24 hours, bringing all three of its launch pads into play.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Capping off this trio was its second customer mission, this time launching a communications satellite for NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a government-run company and the commercial arm for the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).<\/p>\n<p>This was the first time SpaceX launched a payload for India. The Geosynchronous SATellite N2 (GSAT-N2) is NSIL\u2019s second so-called Demand-driven satellite.<\/p>\n<p>Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 1:31 p.m. EST (1831 UTC), the opening of a roughly two-hour window.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jKerzlu_kH8?si=1ISlWrkayRbdLP6Z\" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Coming into Monday\u2019s launch opportunity, the 45th Weather Squadron forecast a greater than 95 percent chance of favorable weather at liftoff. Cumulus clouds were the only potential watch item for meteorologists.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHigh pressure will be just off the coast in the Atlantic by the launch window, bringing mostly clear skies and light onshore winds,\u201d launch weather officers wrote in their forecast on Sunday. \u201cAbundant dry air will exist above the very lowest levels, so there is very little concern for any violations due to clouds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Falcon 9 rocket supporting this mission, tail number B1073 in the SpaceX fleet, launched for a 19th time. It previously supported the launches of ispace\u2019s Hakuto-R lunar lander, CRS-27 and 13 Starlink missions.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly 8.5 minutes after liftoff, B1073 touched down on the SpaceX droneship, \u2018Just Read the Instructions.\u2019 This marked the 98th booster landing for JRTI and the 371st booster landing to date.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_67971\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-67971\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-67971\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241118_GSAT-N2_mission_patch_small.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"877\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241118_GSAT-N2_mission_patch_small.jpg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241118_GSAT-N2_mission_patch_small-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241118_GSAT-N2_mission_patch_small-678x679.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241118_GSAT-N2_mission_patch_small-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241118_GSAT-N2_mission_patch_small-768x769.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-67971\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The mission patch designed by SpaceX for the GSAT-N2 mission launch. Graphic: SpaceX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>Boosting communications<\/h4>\n<p>The GSAT-N2 satellite, also referred to as GSAT-20, weighed 4,700 kg (10,362 lbs) at liftoff and is designed to last 14 years in geostationary Earth orbit (GEO).<\/p>\n<p>Monday afternoon\u2019s launch marked the first time that SpaceX launches a payload for ISRO. While India has its own domestic launch capability with its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM3), it\u2019s capped at launching a payload of 4,000 kg.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why NSIL announced a contract with SpaceX back on Jan. 2, 2024, for the launch of GSAT-20.<\/p>\n<p>The previous launch of the GSAT system, named GSAT-24 (or GSAT-N1), launched on June 22, 2022, on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_67970\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-67970\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-67970\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241118_GSAT-20_satellite_small.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"493\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241118_GSAT-20_satellite_small.jpeg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241118_GSAT-20_satellite_small-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241118_GSAT-20_satellite_small-678x381.jpeg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241118_GSAT-20_satellite_small-768x432.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-67970\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) GSAT-N2 \/ GSAT-20 satellite pictured in a clean room (left) and undergoing a vibration test (right). Images: NSIL<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Speaking with India-based news outlet NDTV on Nov. 16, Dr. Shri M. Sankaran, the director of of UR Rao Satellite Center and a scientist at ISRO, described the importance of launching this satellite as it is on a Falcon 9.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I look at 14 years of life for this particular satellite, we ended up with a mass around 4,700 kg and the current capability of LVM3 is limiting us from being able to launch on LVM3. Maybe the future upgrades of LVM3 such a satellite,\u201d Sankaran said.<\/p>\n<p>When asked by NDTV\u2019s Science Editor Pallava Bagla if NSIL got a good launch deal by using SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket, Sankaran said he thought they were treated fairly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would say, as far as the commercial launch price for launching this particular satellite is concerned, we are very convinced about the technical compatibility and also the commercial deal,\u201d Sankaran said. \u201cI would say it\u2019s a good commercial deal for launching such a big satellite<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>on SpaceX, which is a Falcon 9.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_67972\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-67972\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-67972\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241118_GSAT-N2_configuration_renderings.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"433\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241118_GSAT-N2_configuration_renderings.jpg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241118_GSAT-N2_configuration_renderings-300x148.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241118_GSAT-N2_configuration_renderings-678x335.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241118_GSAT-N2_configuration_renderings-768x380.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-67972\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Renderings from NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) showing the GSAT-N2 \/ GSAT-20 satellite in both its on orbit and stowed configurations. Graphic: NSIL<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He said it would take a couple months to complete the orbital raising maneuvers and conduct operational checkouts.<\/p>\n<p>According to ISRO, this latest satellite, GSAT-20, \u201cis equipped with 32 user beams, comprising 8 narrow spot beams over the Northeast region and 24 wide spot beams over 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGSAT-N2 is set to enhance broadband services and in-flight connectivity (IFC) across the Indian region,\u201d NSIL said in a statement. \u201cThis satellite, featuring multiple spot beams and wideband Ka x Ka transponders, aims to support a large subscriber base with small user terminals, significantly boosting system throughput through its multi-beam architecture which allows frequency reuse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The spacecraft uses monomethylhydrazine (MMH) for fuel and a nitric oxide (MON3) as the oxidizer. The power system is based on a 70V satellite bus which has a pair of solar panels for power generation and lithium ion batteries for storage.<\/p>\n<p>The overall body of the spacecraft is build upon what ISRO calls its standard Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP)-based I4K bus, which is \u201ccompatible with all major launch vehicles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe see quite a good market potential for this satellite because, as I mentioned, such a heavy satellite with this much of a throughput, this is the first time we are making such a high throughput satellite of this magnitude,\u201d Sankaran told NDTV. \u201cSo, I\u2019m confident and optimistic that we should be able to make the best use of the services that the satellite is going to provide to us.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) on the GSAT-N2 \/ GSAT-20 mission on Nov. 18, 2024. Image: Michael Cain\/Spaceflight Now SpaceX launched its third Falcon 9 rocket in less than 24 hours, bringing all three of its launch pads into play.&nbsp; Capping off this trio was its second [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[771,479,301,525,859,316],"class_list":["post-9968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-cape-canaveral-space-force-station","tag-falcon-9","tag-india","tag-isro","tag-nsil","tag-spacex"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9968"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9968"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9968\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}