By Jonathan Easton
Public sector firm NewSpace India (NSIL) has announced plans to launch the GSAT-24 Ku-band satellite.
The company, which is a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE), under the Department of Space (DOS) and is the commercial arm of ISRO, announced the “1st Demand Driven” Communication satellite plan as part of ongoing Space Reforms in the country.
The Space Reforms were announced in June 2020, with NSIL mandated to undertake operational satellite missions. NSIL is charged with building, launching, owning and operating the satellite while also providing services to customers.
GSAT-24 is a 4 tonne class Ku-band satellite. It will be launched using the Ariane-5 launcher operated by M/s Arianespace, while the satellite capacity on-board GSAT-24 will be leased to its M/s Tata Sky to meet its DTH application needs
The satellite is set for a launch in Q1 2022.