ISRO Launches GSAT-25: India's Most Advanced Communication Satellite Successfully Placed in Geostationary Orbit
ISRO successfully launched the GSAT-25 communication satellite aboard the GSLV Mk-III rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, placing it in geostationary orbit to provide high-speed broadband across South Asia.
Representative image. Photo: Nationalism News
The Indian Space Research Organisation successfully launched the GSAT-25 communication satellite on Saturday night, placing India's most technologically advanced satellite in geostationary orbit after a textbook 22-minute ascent by the GSLV Mk-III rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
GSAT-25, weighing 4,700 kg, carries 30 Ka-band transponders capable of delivering internet speeds of up to 100 Gbps, making it India's highest-throughput satellite and one of the most powerful in Asia. The satellite will provide coverage across the entire South Asian region including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Maldives.
ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan called the launch "a watershed moment for India's space ambitions" and announced that GSAT-25 will power India's first domestically operated satellite broadband service, with commercial operations expected to begin by October 2026.
The satellite will also support the government's Digital India initiative, providing broadband connectivity to over 3,00,000 gram panchayats that currently have no terrestrial broadband access, particularly in the Northeast, Jammu & Kashmir and tribal areas of central India.
GSAT-25 is the second satellite in ISRO's new-generation HTS (High Throughput Satellite) programme, following GSAT-20, which was launched aboard an Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon 9 in November 2024 when GSLV Mk-III was unavailable. This time, India used its own rocket, a significant achievement.
The mission control room at Sriharikota erupted in cheers when ground stations confirmed the satellite had unfolded its solar panels and achieved stable orbit. Prime Minister Modi congratulated the ISRO team, calling it "another giant leap for India's scientific prowess."
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