The Indian heavy communications satellite of the new generation, GSAT-20, will be launched early next week aboard the Falcon 9 launch vehicle of the American company SpaceX, Azernews reports.

GSAT-20 will be launched from Cape Canaveral in the USA. This 4,700 kg satellite, developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is too heavy for Indian rockets, so the country had to seek commercial launch options. NewSpace India Limited (the commercial division of ISRO) has signed a contract with SpaceX.

This is the first time India has entered into such an agreement with an American company. Previously, ISRO had used the services of the French-led Arianespace consortium when necessary. The estimated cost of this commercial Falcon 9 launch to deploy an Indian communications satellite is between $60-70 million.

India currently lacks its own rockets capable of launching satellites with a mass significantly exceeding 4 tons into geostationary Earth orbit. Work on such a vehicle is ongoing. At present, the Indian GSLV Mk III (Mark-3) launch vehicle is capable of putting a maximum of 4,000-4,100 kg into orbit.

The GSAT-20 satellite is specifically designed to meet the growing communication needs of remote regions in India and will provide broadband Internet access across the country. Its operational lifetime is expected to be 14 years.