SpaceX to launch India's 4.7 tonne GSAT-20 comms satellite

New Delhi: Space X, the Elon Musk-owned rocket-making company, has inked a significant deal with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to launch India’s GSAT-20 communication satellite into orbit, as per reports.

In the first of many expected commercial collaborations between ISRO and SpaceX, the launch is expected to take place early next week using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Hindustan Times points out that this is the maiden deal under the administration of US President-elect Donald Trump, and Musk is his best buddy.

NDTV reported that the GSAT-20 weighs 4,700 kg and is too heavy for Indian rockets to carry, and SpaceX was chosen. The launch will be from Cape Canaveral in the US, and the satellite is expected to remain operational for fourteen years.

ISRO used to rely on French commercial launch service to provide Arianespace for heavy satellite launches, but this time, the company didn’t have any operational rockets in hand. Since Russia is invading Ukraine and China is off-limits, the lot fell for SpaceX.

The GSAT-20 is expected to provide vital services across India, including internet connectivity for remote areas.

Chairman and Managing Director of New Space India Ltd (NSIL), the Bengaluru-based commercial arm of ISRO, Radhakrishnan Durairaj, said that ISRO got a good deal on this launch with SpaceX. The estimated cost of the launch is between $60-70 million.

Last month, the US Space Force awarded SpaceX a $733 million, eight-launch contract. Launch Service Task Orders (LSTOs) of $733,566,001 were given to SpaceX by the US Space Force's Space Systems Command under the "National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1.”