SpaceX is set to launch its first-ever mission for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today (Nov. 18).
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying ISRO’s GSAT-N2 communications satellite is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today during a two-hour window that opens at 1:31 p.m. EST (1831 GMT). If it goes at the beginning of that window, it will be the third launch in 27 hours for Elon Musk’s company.
SpaceX will livestream the action via its X account, beginning about 15 minutes before liftoff.
If all goes according to plan, the Falcon 9’s first stage will come back to Earth about 8.5 minutes after liftoff, landing on the droneship “Just Read the Instructions.” It will be the 19th mission for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description.
The Falcon 9’s upper stage, meanwhile, will deploy the 10,360-pound (4,700 kilograms) GSAT-N2 in geosynchronous transfer orbit about 34 minutes after liftoff. The satellite — a project of New Space India Limited, ISRO’s commercial arm — will then make its way to geostationary orbit, which lies 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) above our planet.
No Indian rocket can carry such a heavy payload to such a distant destination, according to India Today, so ISRO went with the Falcon 9. This marks a departure for the Indian space agency, which has generally gone with rockets operated by the European company Arianespace to loft its heaviest satellites.
Once GSAT-N2 is up and running, it “will provide vital services across the country, including internet connectivity for remote areas and in-flight internet services — an area that has recently seen regulatory changes allowing such connectivity in Indian airspace,” India Today wrote.
“The satellite is equipped with 32 user beams, including eight narrow spot beams and 24 wide spot beams, which will be supported by hub stations located throughout India,” the outlet added.
GSAT-N2 has an expected operational life of 14 years.
GSAT-N2’s launch will be the third for SpaceX in just over a day. The company launched a satellite for the Australian telecom company Optus on Sunday evening (Nov. 17) and lofted a batch of its own Starlink broadband satellites early Monday morning (Nov. 18).
And more spaceflight action is on tap on Tuesday (Nov. 19): SpaceX plans to launch the sixth test flight of its Starship megarocket on Tuesday, during a 30-minute window that opens at 5 p.m. EST (2200 GMT).
