ISRO’s satellite is so heavy
GSAT-N2 will be launched from Cape Canaveral, America. The 4,700 kg satellite made by ISRO was too heavy for Indian rockets, so it was given a foreign commercial launch. India’s own rocket ‘The Bahubali’ or Launch Vehicle Mark-3 can lift a maximum weight of 4,000-4,100 kg and take it to geostationary orbit.
Why did ISRO deal with SpaceX?
India was till now dependent on Arianespace to launch its heavy satellites, but currently it has no operational rocket. During this time, India’s only credible option was to go with SpaceX. India cannot take Chinese rockets and due to the conflict in Ukraine, Russia will not be able to provide its rockets for commercial launch. In such a situation, India had only the option of SpaceX.
“We got a good deal with SpaceX on this first launch,” Radhakrishnan Durairaj, chairman and managing director of New Space India Limited (NSIL), ISRO’s Bengaluru-based commercial arm, told NDTV. He said that it was a good deal for us to launch such a heavy satellite on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
