Arianespace's rocket to launch ISRO's satellite on June 23 in its 25th mission for India

European launch providing company Arianespace will launch a rocket carrying a satellite, GSAT-24, developed by the NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), ISRO's commercial arm, for television service provider Tata Sky. The launch will be carried out using the Ariane 5 rocket, which will liftoff at 23:03 CEST on June 22 [2:33 am IST on June 23] from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana. Apart from the Indian satellite, the Ariane 5 will carry another passenger satellite MEASAT-3d of Airbus Defence and Space, taking the total payload to approximately 10,863 kg.

The GSAT-24 is a 24-Ku band communication satellite weighing 4,180 kg with Pan India coverage for meeting DTH application needs. Moreover, the 4-tonne class communications satellite has been configured to have a mission life of 15 years. On the other hand, the second satellite, the MEASAT-3d is a multi-mission telecommunications satellite built by Airbus Defence and Space for MEASAT, the leading Malaysian satellite operator.

According to the mission profile, this satellite will enhance broadband speeds of up to 100 Mbps in areas with limited or no terrestrial network throughout Malaysia and enable video streaming in HD, 4K, and ultimately 8K in the Asia-Pacific region. Built to last at least 18 years, this satellite would mark the 127th Arianespace launch for Airbus Defence and Space.

ISRO-Arianespace relations

The forthcoming mission would be the 25th overall satellite that will be sent to orbit by Arianespace. The partnership between the two entities dates back to 1981 when Arianespace launched the first satellite APPLE (Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment) for India in its Ariane 1 rocket. The next launch is being conducted under the partnership that was made on September 28, 2021. In an official release, Arianespace CEO Stéphane Israël expressed his excitement about partnering with ISRO again since NSIL's creation in 2019. 

"We proudly performed 24 launches for India, continuously and successfully supporting its institutions, businesses and population's needs. We are thrilled to see this upcoming launch consolidate our relationship, which is a two-way street, with Indian launchers having orbited European satellites", Israël had said.