GSAT

GSAT
	The GSAT-7A, a military communications satellite, in deployed configuration
Manufacturer	ISRO
Country of origin	India
Operator	INSAT
Applications	Communications
Specifications
Regime	Geostationary orbit
Production
Status	In service
On order	6
Built	27
Launched	27
Operational	20
Retired	3
Failed	3
Lost	1
Maiden launch	GSAT-1 (GramSat-1) 18 April 2001
Last launch	GSAT-7R (CMS-03) 2 November 2025

The GSAT (Geosynchronous Satellite)^[1] series is a family of Indian communications satellites, indigenously developed and operated by the ISRO. The prorgamme was initiated in the early 2000s to create indigenous, multi-purpose, geostationary spacecrafts capable of supporting India's growing needs in telecommunications, broadcasting, broadband, emergency management, reconnaissance and navigation. The programme was supported by the development of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle.

GSAT satellites include a total of 168 transponders (out of which 95 are leased out to provide services to broadcasters), and operate primarily in C, Extended C, K_u, K_a, S and L bands, with payload configurations tailored for civilian, commercial, and strategic needs. The development of both GSAT satellites and the GSLV launch system represents India's transition from dependence on foreign-built INSAT spacecraft to self-reliant national communications capability. As of 21 November 2025, 27 GSAT satellites manufactured by ISRO have been launched, out of which 20 are in service and six more being planned.

History

The GSAT programme began as part of ISRO's efforts to supplement the aging Indian National Satellite System (INSAT) fleet and reduce reliance on leased transponders from foreign satellites. Early missions of GSAT-1 (2001) and GSAT-2 (2003) were launched to test indigenous bus designs, power systems and communication payloads.

Between 2004 and 2020, ISRO launchd numerous GSAT satellites with varied roles including direct-to-home broadcasting support, tele-education and tele-medicine, high-throughput broadband, navigation augmentation for aviation, dedicated military communication.

Recent missions focus on high-bandwidth K_a band systems, secure strategic communication and navigation augmentation under GPS-aided GEO augmented navigation (GAGAN). Several satellites use advanced I-2K, I-3K and 1-6K satellite bus platforms designed for long life and high payload capacity.

Launched

The following is a list of launched GSAT satellites and their status. As of 2025, there were 27 GSAT launches with 20 of them being operational.

Launched GSAT satellites
GSAT series	INSAT Series	Other name(s)	COSPAR ID	Launch date and time, UTC	Launch vehicle	Lift-off mass	Orbital parameters		Outcome	Purpose
GSAT series	INSAT Series	Other name(s)	COSPAR ID	Launch date and time, UTC	Launch vehicle	Lift-off mass	Longitude	Inclination	Outcome	Purpose
GSAT-1	N/a	GramSat-1^[2]	2001-015A	18 April 2001, 10:13:00	GSLV Mk-I D2	1,540 kg (3,400 lb)	76.85° West (2006–2009) ^[a]	0.9°	Launch failure	Experimental
GSAT-1	N/a	Launch placed it into lower than planned orbit, which prevented it from fulfilling its primary communications mission.
GSAT-2	N/a	GramSat-2^[3]	2003-018A	8 May 2003, 11:28:00	GSLV Mk-I D3	1,825 kg (4,023 lb)	47.95° East	2.43°	Successful	Experimental
GSAT-2	N/a	Second experimental attempt.
GSAT-3	N/a	EduSat	2004-036A	20 September 2004, 10:31:00	GSLV Mk-I F01	1,950 kg (4,300 lb)	74° East	2.71°	Successful	Educational
GSAT-3	N/a	Mainly intended to meet the demand for an interactive satellite-based distance education system for the country. Decommissioned on 30 September 2010 after six years of operation.
GSAT-4	N/a	HealthSat	N/a	15 April 2010, 10:57:00	GSLV Mk-II D3	2,220 kg (4,890 lb)	82° East	N/a	Launch failure	Communication and Navigation
GSAT-4	N/a	Failed to reach orbit due to malfunction of the Fuel Booster Turbo Pump (FBTP) of the cryogenic upper stage.
GSAT-5P	N/a		N/a	25 December 2010, 10:34:00	GSLV Mk-I F06	2,310 kg (5,090 lb)	55° East	N/a	Launch failure	Replacement of INSAT-3E
GSAT-5P	N/a		Rebuilt from GSAT-5 (INSAT-4D)^[4] Vehicle was destroyed by range safety officer after loss of control over liquid-fueled boosters.
GSAT-6	INSAT-4E	N/a	2015-041A	27 August 2015, 11:22:00	GSLV Mk-II D6	2,132 kg (4,700 lb)	83° East	1.4°	Operational	Multimedia
GSAT-6	INSAT-4E	N/a	A multimedia mobile satellite system; offers a Satellite Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (S-DMB) service, via mobile phones and mobile video/audio receivers for vehicles; can also be utilized for strategic and social applications.
GSAT-6A	N/a		2018-027A	29 March 2018, 11:26:00	GSLV Mk-II F08	2,140 kg (4,720 lb)	83° East	2.8°	Communication failure	Communication
GSAT-6A	N/a		Communication with the satellite was lost after the second orbit raising manoeuvre. Efforts are on to re-establish link but at this point it remains incommunicado.^[5]
GSAT-7	INSAT-4F^[6]	Rukmini	2013-044B	29 August 2013, 20:30:00	Ariane 5 ECA VA-215	2,650 kg (5,840 lb)	74° East	0.06°	Operational	Military
GSAT-7	INSAT-4F^[6]	Rukmini	According to defense experts, it was built to enable the Indian Navy to acquire blue water capabilities and remove dependence on foreign satellites like Inmarsat, which provide communication services to its ships.
GSAT-7A	N/a	Angry Bird	2018-105A	19 December 2018, 10:40:00	GSLV Mk-II F11	2,250 kg (4,960 lb)	63° East	0.0°	Operational	Military
GSAT-7A	N/a	Angry Bird	Advanced military communications satellite meant exclusively for the Indian Air Force.
GSAT-7R	N/a	CMS-03	2025-249B	2 November 2025, 11:56:00	LVM3 M5	4,410 kg (9,720 lb)	93.5° East	0.2°	Operational	Military
GSAT-7R	N/a	CMS-03	Replacement for GSAT-7 Rukmini for Indian Navy.^[7]
GSAT-8	INSAT-4G	GramSat-8^[8]	2011-022A	20 May 2011, 20:38:00	Ariane 5 ECA VA-202	3,093 kg (6,819 lb)	55° East	1.6°	Operational	Navigation
GSAT-8	INSAT-4G	GramSat-8^[8]	To augment the capacity in the INSAT system; the GAGAN payload provides the Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS), through which the accuracy of the positioning information obtained from the IRNSS (NAVIC) satellites is improved by a network of ground-based receivers and made available to users in the country through the geostationary satellites.
GSAT-9	N/a	South Asia Satellite	2017-024A	5 May 2017, 11:27:00	GSLV MK-II F09	2,330 kg (5,140 lb)	48° East	0.0413°	Operational	Navigation
GSAT-9	N/a	South Asia Satellite	Carried GAGAN navigation payload, a regional IRNSS (NAVIC) navigational system developed by India, that provides navigational services to the security forces and air traffic control organizations.
GSAT-10	N/a		2012-051B	29 September 2012	Ariane 5 ECA VA-209	3,435 kg (7,573 lb)	83° East	0.1°	Operational	Navigation
GSAT-10	N/a		To augment telecommunication, direct-to-home and radio navigation services.^[9]
GSAT-11	N/a		2018-100B	4 December 2018, 20:37:00	Ariane 5 ECA VA-246	5,854 kg (12,906 lb)	74° East	0.0°	Operational	Telecom
GSAT-11	N/a		Aimed at providing advanced telecom and direct-to-home services in the country. Heaviest satellite built by India at the time.
GSAT-12	N/a	GramSat-12^[10]	2018-100B	4 December 2018	Ariane 5 ECA VA-246	5,854 kg (12,906 lb)	74° East	0.0°	Successful	Multipurpose
GSAT-12	N/a	GramSat-12^[10]	Replacement of the INSAT-3B; provided services like tele-education, telemedicine, disaster management support and satellite internet access. Only GSAT satellite to be launched by PSLV.
GSAT-12R	N/a	CMS-01	2020-099A	17 December 2020, 11:18:00	PSLV-XL C50	1,425 kg (3,142 lb)	83° East	0.1°	Operational	Multipurpose
GSAT-12R	N/a	CMS-01	Replacement of GSAT-12.
GSAT-14	N/a		2014-001A	5 January 2014, 10:48:00	GSLV Mk-II D5	1,982 kg (4,370 lb)	75° East	0.1°	Operational	Communications
GSAT-14	N/a		Replacement of GSAT-3.
GSAT-15	N/a		2015-065A	10 November 2015, 21:34:07	Ariane 5 ECA VA-227	3,100 kg (6,800 lb)	93.5° East	0.0728°	Operational	Communications
GSAT-15	N/a		Similar to GSAT-10 satellite; to augment the capacity of transponders to provide more bandwidth for direct-to-home television and VSAT services.
GSAT-16	N/a		2014-078A	6 December 2014, 20:40:00	Ariane 5 ECA VA-221^[11]	3,150 kg (6,940 lb)	55° East	0.0°	Operational	Communications
GSAT-16	N/a		The communication payloads provide a combination of total 48 transponders across the three frequency bands (24 in Normal C band, 12 in Extended-C band and 12 in K_u-band) along with a K_u-band beacon transmitter, which is the highest for an Indian satellite. The spacecraft will be co-located with GSAT-8 at 55° East.
GSAT-17	N/a		2017-040B	28 June 2017, 21:15:00	Ariane 5 ECA VA-238	3,477 kg (7,665 lb)	93.5° East	0.0°	Operational	Communications
GSAT-17	N/a		Payload includes 24 C-band, 2 lower C-band, 12 upper C-band, 2 CxS (C-band up/S-band down), and 1 SxC (S-band up/C-band down) transponders as well as a dedicated transponder for data relay (DRT) and search-and-rescue (SAR) services.^[12]
GSAT-18	N/a		2016-060A	5 October 2016, 20:30:00	Ariane 5 ECA VA-231	3,404 kg (7,505 lb)	74° East	0.1°	Operational	Communications
GSAT-18	N/a		To provide services in Normal C-band, Upper Extended C-band and K_u bands of the frequency spectrum.^[13]
GSAT-19	N/a		2017-031A	5 June 2017, 11:58:00	LVM3 D1	3,136 kg (6,914 lb)	48° East	0.101°	Operational	Communications
GSAT-19	N/a		Rather than traditional transponders, GSAT-19 carries four K_u/K_a-band forward link beams and four K_u/K_a-band return link beams, providing much higher data throughput than India's previous communications satellites.^[14]
GSAT-20	N/a	GSAT-N2^[15]	2024-214A	18 November 2024, 18:30:00	Falcon 9 Block 5 F9-398	5,300 kg (11,700 lb)	55° East	0.101°	Operational	Communications
GSAT-20	N/a	GSAT-N2^[15]	Entire capacity of the satellite leased to Dish TV.^[16]^[17]
GSAT-24	N/a	GSAT-N1	2022-067A	22 June 2022, 21:50:00	Ariane 5 ECA VA-257	4,181 kg (9,218 lb)	48° East	TBD	Operational	Communications
GSAT-24	N/a	GSAT-N1	The entire capacity onboard GSAT-N1 satellite would be leased to Tata Play.
GSAT-29	N/a		2018-089A	14 November 2018, 11:38:00	LVM3 D2	3,423 kg (7,546 lb)	55° East	0.0°	Operational	Communications
GSAT-29	N/a		The mission aims at providing high-speed bandwidth to Village Resource Centres (VRC) in rural areas.^[18]
GSAT-30	N/a		2020-005A	17 January 2020, 21:05:00	Ariane 5 ECA VA-251	3,547 kg (7,820 lb)	83° East	0.0°	Operational	Communications
GSAT-30	N/a		Replacement satellite for INSAT-4A.^[19]
GSAT-31	N/a		2019-007B	6 February 2019	Ariane 5 ECA VA-251	2,536 kg (5,591 lb)	48° East	0.1°	Operational	Telecom
GSAT-31	N/a		This is the 40th communication satellite launched by ISRO.^[20]

Planned

The following is a list of six planned GSAT launches.

Planned GSAT Satellites
GSAT series	INSAT Series	Other name(s)	Launch date	Launch vehicle	Lift-off mass	Status	Purpose
GSAT series	INSAT Series	Other name(s)	Launch date	Launch vehicle	Lift-off mass	Status	Purpose	GSAT-7B	N/a	2020s	GSLV Mk-II	TBD	Planned	Military
Military communication satellite for Indian Army.^[21]								GSAT-7B	N/a
GSAT-7C	N/a		2020s	GSLV Mk-II	TBD	Planned	Military
GSAT-7C	N/a		Military communication satellite for Indian Air Force.^[22]
GSAT-7S	N/a		2020s	GSLV Mk-II	TBD	Planned	Military
GSAT-7S	N/a		Military communication satellite for Indian Air Force^{[citation needed]}
GSAT-22	N/a		2020s	LVM3	TBD	Planned	Communcation
GSAT-22	N/a		Communcation satellite.^[23]
GSAT-23	N/a		2020s	LVM3	TBD	Planned	TBD
GSAT-23	N/a		^[23]
GSAT-32	N/a	GSAT-N3	Q2 2026	LVM3	4,500 kg (9,900 lb)	Planned	Communication
GSAT-32	N/a	GSAT-N3	Replacement of GSAT-6A.^[23]

Statistics

As of 23 November 2025

By year

1

2

3

4

5

2001

2005

2010

2015

2020

2025

2030

Success
Partial failure
Failure
Planned

By rocket

3

6

9

12

15

Ariane 5
GSLV MKI
GSLV MKII
LVM3
PSLV
Falcon 9 Block 5

By country

Country		Launches	Successes	Failures	Partial failures
	France	12	12	0	0
	India	14	10	3	1
	United States	1	1	0	0
Total		27	23	3	1

References

Notes

^ Previously: 73° West (2000) and 99° West (2000–2006)

References

^ "ISRO GeoStationary Satellites". isro.org. Archived from the original on 11 February 2014.
^ "GSAT 1". NASA. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
^ "GSAT 2". NASA. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
^ "GSat 5 (Insat 4D)". Gunter's Space Page. 29 March 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
^ "The second orbit raising operation of GSAT-6A satellite has been successfully carried out by LAM Engine firing for about 53 minutes on March 31, 2018 in the morning. - ISRO". Archived from the original on August 4, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
^ "GSAT 7". NASA. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
^ Pubby, Manu (18 July 2019). "Navy to buy Rs 1,589 crore satellite from ISRO". Economic Times. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
^ "GSAT 8". NASA. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
^ "GSAT 10". NASA. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
^ "GSAT 12". NASA. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
^ "Ariane 5 delivers DIRECTV-14 and GSAT-16 to orbit on Arianespace's latest mission success". Archived from the original on 11 December 2014. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
^ "Annual Report 2015-2016" (PDF). Indian Space Research Organisation. December 2015. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-07-05.
^ "GSAT-18 launched successfully on board Ariane-5 from Kourou in French Guiana". 2016-10-06. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
^ "Now, ISRO successfully puts GSAT-19 satellite in orbit with GSLV Mk-III". The New Indian Express. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
^ "SpaceX launches communications satellite for India". mynews13.com. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
^ "SpaceX launches India's GSAT-N2 satellite on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral – Spaceflight Now". Retrieved 2024-11-20.
^ "Falcon 9 Block 5 - GSAT-20". Next Spaceflight. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
^ "ISRO successfully launches the GSAT-29 satellite from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota on Wednesday". Bangalore Mirror. Nov 14, 2018. Retrieved 2025-11-21.
^ "India's communication satellite GSAT-30 launched successfully". ISRO. Archived from the original on 30 May 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
^ "India's 40th Communication Satellite, GSAT-31, Launched". NDTV. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
^ "Military communication satellite for Indian Army approved". Deccen Herald. 22 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
^ "Defence ministry clears proposal for GSAT-7C satellite for IAF: A look at other military satellites in India". Firstpost. 24 November 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c Kumar, Chethan (5 October 2021). "Space PSU NSIL to launch 4 more demand-driven communication satellites". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 October 2021.

External links

ISRO GeoStationary Satellites

[3] Previously: 73° West (2000) and 99° West (2000–2006)

[1] "ISRO GeoStationary Satellites". isro.org. Archived from the original on 11 February 2014.

[2] "GSAT 1". NASA. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.

[4] "GSAT 2". NASA. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.

[5] "GSat 5 (Insat 4D)". Gunter's Space Page. 29 March 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.

[6] "The second orbit raising operation of GSAT-6A satellite has been successfully carried out by LAM Engine firing for about 53 minutes on March 31, 2018 in the morning. - ISRO". Archived from the original on August 4, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2018.

[7] "GSAT 7". NASA. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.

[8] Pubby, Manu (18 July 2019). "Navy to buy Rs 1,589 crore satellite from ISRO". Economic Times. Retrieved 18 July 2019.

[9] "GSAT 8". NASA. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.

[10] "GSAT 10". NASA. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.

[11] "GSAT 12". NASA. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.

[12] "Ariane 5 delivers DIRECTV-14 and GSAT-16 to orbit on Arianespace's latest mission success". Archived from the original on 11 December 2014. Retrieved 7 December 2014.

[AR2016-13] "Annual Report 2015-2016" (PDF). Indian Space Research Organisation. December 2015. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-07-05.

[14] "GSAT-18 launched successfully on board Ariane-5 from Kourou in French Guiana". 2016-10-06. Retrieved 2016-10-06.

[15] "Now, ISRO successfully puts GSAT-19 satellite in orbit with GSLV Mk-III". The New Indian Express. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.

[16] "SpaceX launches communications satellite for India". mynews13.com. Retrieved 2024-11-20.

[17] "SpaceX launches India's GSAT-N2 satellite on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral – Spaceflight Now". Retrieved 2024-11-20.

[18] "Falcon 9 Block 5 - GSAT-20". Next Spaceflight. Retrieved 2 January 2024.

[19] "ISRO successfully launches the GSAT-29 satellite from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota on Wednesday". Bangalore Mirror. Nov 14, 2018. Retrieved 2025-11-21.

[gsat30-20] "India's communication satellite GSAT-30 launched successfully". ISRO. Archived from the original on 30 May 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.

[gsat31-21] "India's 40th Communication Satellite, GSAT-31, Launched". NDTV. Retrieved 6 February 2019.

[22] "Military communication satellite for Indian Army approved". Deccen Herald. 22 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.

[23] "Defence ministry clears proposal for GSAT-7C satellite for IAF: A look at other military satellites in India". Firstpost. 24 November 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.

[toi-20211005-24] Kumar, Chethan (5 October 2021). "Space PSU NSIL to launch 4 more demand-driven communication satellites". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 October 2021.

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v t e GSAT satellites
Destroyed	GSAT-1† (Apr 2001) GSAT-4† (Apr 2010) GSAT-5P† (Dec 2010)
Retired	GSAT-2 (May 2003) GSAT-3 / EDUSAT (Sep 2004) GSAT-12 (Jul 2011) GSAT-6A (Mar 2018)
Active	GSAT-8 / INSAT-4G (May 2011) GSAT-10 (Sep 2012) GSAT-7 / INSAT-4F (Aug 2013) GSAT-14 (Jan 2014) GSAT-16 (Dec 2014) GSAT-6 / INSAT-4E (Aug 2015) GSAT-15 (Nov 2015) GSAT-18 (Oct 2016) GSAT-9 / South Asia Satellite (May 2017) GSAT-19 (Jun 2017) GSAT-17 (Jun 2017) GSAT-29 (Nov 2018) GSAT-11 (Dec 2018) GSAT-7A (Dec 2018) GSAT-31 (Feb 2019) GSAT-30 (Jan 2020) GSAT-12R / CMS-01 (Dec 2020) GSAT-24 / GSAT-N1 (Jun 2022) GSAT-20 / GSAT-N2 (November 2024) GSAT-7R / CMS-03 (November 2025)
Planned	GSAT-7B GSAT-7C GSAT-22 GSAT-23 GSAT-32
Cancelled	GSAT-5 / INSAT-4D
Signs † indicate launch failures.

v t e INSAT satellites
INSAT-1 series	INSAT-1A INSAT-1B INSAT-1C INSAT-1D
INSAT-2 series	INSAT-2A INSAT-2B INSAT-2C INSAT-2D INSAT-2DT INSAT-2E
INSAT-3 series	INSAT-3A INSAT-3B INSAT-3C INSAT-3D INSAT-3DR INSAT-3DS INSAT-3E
INSAT-4 series	INSAT-4A INSAT-4B INSAT-4C INSAT-4CR GSAT-6 / INSAT-4E GSAT-7 / INSAT-4F GSAT-8 / INSAT-4G

Epstein Files Full PDF