Elon Musk-owned SpaceX launches ISRO's GSAT-N2 satellite from Florida's Canaveral Space Force Station

SpaceX successfully launched the GSAT-N2 communication satellite of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on Nov 19 from Florida's Canaveral Space Force Station owned by Elon Musk.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket was used to launch the advanced communication satellite.

The event is the first of several commercial collaborations between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and SpaceX.

The GSAT N2, or GSAT 20, has been put in a precise orbit, according to Radhakrishnan Durairaj, chairman and managing director of New Space India Limited, the commercial division of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

The ISRO Satellite Centre and Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre collaborated to develop the GSAT-N2 communication satellite.

With a data transmission capability of 48 Gbps, this high satellite will improve internet services and enable in-flight connectivity across the country.

It will continue the GSAT series of communication satellites while also adding data transmission capacity to the communication infrastructure necessary for India's Smart Cities Mission.

The satellite is planned to remain operational for 14 years.

"The satellite is 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,” the Indian space agency said.

Currently, the company lacks operational rockets capable of launching a heavy payload—such as the 4,700 kg GSAT N2 satellite. Arianespace, a French commercial launch service provider, handles such launches for ISRO.

The LVM-3, India's launch vehicle, has a 4,000-kilogram payload capacity. Therefore, the Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX was selected to launch the satellite.