GSAT-24 Satellite Launch Update: The GSAT-24 satellite, built by ISRO for NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), was successfully launched by French company Arianespace from Kourou in French Guiana (South America) on Thursday. GSAT-24 was launched on-board Ariane-V VA257 flight from the Guiana Space Centre, Europe’s spaceport in Kourou. The GSAT-24 will be the 25th Indian satellite orbited by Arianespace.
Ariane 5, operated by Arianespace, placing the satellite into geostationary orbit made the announcement about its success on Twitter.
The GSAT-24 is a 24-Ku band communication satellite weighing over four thousand kilograms with Pan-India coverage for meeting DTH application needs. Moreover, the satellite has been configured to have a mission life of 15 years. The Indian government-owned enterprise NSIL has leased the entire satellite capacity to Tata Play.
It is the first "demand-driven" communication satellite mission undertaken by NSIL post space sector reforms.
The satellite and its equipment were shipped to Kourou, French Guiana, on May 18, using C-17 Globemaster aircraft. The satellite was received in Kourou on May 19.
Earlier, in an official release, Arianespace CEO Stéphane Israël expressed excitement about partnering again with ISRO since NSIL's creation in 2019. On September 28, 2021, NSIL entrusted Arianespace with the launch of its GSAT-24 telecommunications satellite.
The Ariane 5 heavy-lift launcher is an ESA program carried out in cooperation between public institutions and industry across 12 European partner states.
(With agencies input)