Elon Musk-owned SpaceX has set a global record and India has become part of that historic achievement. In just 20 hours, SpaceX on Tuesday became the first space agency in the world to successfully launch three Falcon 9 rocket missions, completing its 112th, 113th, and 114th launches of the year. One of these rockets launched India’s most advanced heavyweight communication satellite Gsat-20 or Gsat-N2 weighing 4,700kg.
SpaceX went on a launching spree with its Falcon-9 rocket first sending an Australian communications company’s satellite TD7 into space from Florida spaceport. Then another Falcon-9 rocket launched 20 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. At the stroke of one minute past midnight in the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, SpaceX’s third Falcon-9 launched India’s Gsat-20 satellite from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. After the 34-minute space journey, the rocket injected Gsat-20 into the geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO).
Soon after the orbit placement, SpaceX posted on X, “Deployment of @NSIL_India GSAT-N2 confirmed”. Isro’s commercial arm NSIL responded on X, “GSAT-N2 weighing 4700 kg has been injected into the desired Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) and ISRO’s Master Control Facility (MCF) has taken control of the satellite. Preliminary data indicates the satellite in good health.”
Isro chairman, tracking the launch from Bengaluru, said, “The satellite is healthy, and its solar panels are deployed.”
The first stage of Falcon 9, which launched Gsat20, returned to Earth about 8.5 minutes after returning from space. This is the first time Isro launched a satellite through SpaceX as Indian rockets don’t have the capability to lift a satellite beyond 4,000kg.
NSIL, which fully owns, operates and funds the satellite, said Gsat-20 can provide up to 48 Gbps of capacity across 32 beams covering all of India, including Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands. Gsat-20, with a mission life of 14 years, is expected to significantly enhance broadband services and in-flight connectivity.
Congratulating Isro and SpaceX for the successful launch, space minister Jitendra Singh posted on X, “ Kudos team Isro & SpaceX for successful launch of GSAT N2! Aims at enhancing internet services, including in remote areas as well as in-flight connectivity. With personal intervention of PM Shri Narendra Modi, Isro has been able to register one success after the other.”
This is the second demand-driven communications satellite of NSIL and is primarily aimed at meeting India’s growing broadband connectivity needs.
Gsat-20 mission was part of the Modi government’s 2020 space sector reforms, which mandate NSIL to develop satellites based on service demand. The partnership with SpaceX not only marks a new chapter for NSIL but also reflects India’s increasing engagement with international space agencies.

CHENNAI: Students of a private university in Sri Lanka and city-based space start-up SpaceKidz India have entered into a collaboration to develop a communication satellite, which is expected to be launched by space agency Isro next year, officials said on Thursday. For the mission, Jaffna-based Northern Uni promoted by its founder-Chairman Indira Kumar Pathmanathan exchanged documents with SpaceKidz India Founder-CEO Srimathy Kesan at an event here.
The collaboration would provide an opportunity for the students of Northern Uni, government schools in Jaffna, along with their counterparts in Tamil Nadu to jointly design, develop and launch a communication satellite.
The satellite would carry sophisticated instruments aimed at studying the space atmosphere and demonstrating cutting-edge communication technologies, Pathmanathan said.
“The project will also mark the first student-led satellite project and government school students of Jaffna, ” he told reporters. It would also offer students first-hand exposure to satellite technology and also the chance to participate in groundbreaking research that has the potential to contribute innovative solutions to global challenges.
“The initiative will equip students with essential skills in satellite development, data analysis, and communication technologies preparing them for future careers in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)fields,” he said.
SpaceKidz India founder-CEO Srimathy Kesan said, “It is a great day for students of both India and Sri Lanka to be able to collaborate on science and technology. It is an opportunity for the students to develop their skills in STEM.”
Recalling an interaction with Indira Kumar Pathmanathan, Srimathy Kesan said he told her that not many students hailing from Jaffna get access to education.
“These students have witnessed war. But, they did not have any access to education. Only about 4,500 students of the total 22,000 students (from Jaffna) have access,” she said and this encouraged Pathmanathan to provide them the opportunity to study science and technology.
According to Northern Uni officials, two campus ambassadors — Meenakshi Sundaram and Kasthury Natharuban currently pursuing their graduation in science and technology — would be involved in educating the students at the University on the space exploration programme.
IN-SPACe Ahmedabad Director Prafulla Kumar Jain who was present on the occasion said international cooperation is required while studying about space and today’s MoU (between Northern Uni and SpaceKidz India) s is a real international collaboration as space does not have any boundaries.
“SpaceKidz have been involved in the Indian space programme with their maiden Kalamsat-V2 successfully launch (in 2019)”, he said.
The student payload Kalamsat-V2 used in the fourth stage of the PSLV-C44 mission was successfully placed into designated orbit in January, 2019.
Later responding to a query, Srimathy Kesan said it would take at least a year for developing the communication satellite. “We have signed the MoU today. We will submit our proposal to Isro. The Mission launch may take place between October-December 2025”, she said.
The Mission comprises two phases with Phase 1 would focus on training the students in space and technology. About 50 school students from Sri Lanka, 10 school students from Tamil Nadu would undergo comprehensive training. This phase has been designated to give participants a foundational understanding of satellite development and space missions.
The second phase would involve 30 college students from Sri Lanka who would be directly engaged in building, integrating and preparing the satellite ahead of the mission launch, they said.