Indian Army's First Dedicated Communication Satellite GSAT-7B Slated for Mid-2028 Launch

Key facts

• The Navy received its new satellite GSAT-7R last November when ISRO launched it to replace the ageing Rukmini, enabling secure communication among warships, submarines, aircraft and shore-based control centres.
• The Indian Army currently has no dedicated satellite and shares the Air Force's GSAT-7A.
• Senior officials said on 19 October that ISRO is expected to launch GSAT-7B, the Army's first dedicated communication satellite, around mid-2028, delayed from the original November 2027 schedule by about six months due to technical difficulties.
• In March 2023, the Ministry of Defence signed a ₹3,000-crore contract with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) for GSAT-7B.
• The five-tonne (5,000 kg) GSAT-7B will be the heaviest communication satellite India has ever built and will operate from geostationary orbit, connecting soldiers, units, weapon systems, aircraft and other equipment securely.
• The Ministry of Defence recently signed a ₹2,563-crore contract with NSIL for GSAT-7C, a fully Indian-made satellite for the Air Force.
• In October 2024, the Cabinet Committee on Security approved the ₹26,968-crore third phase of the Space Based Surveillance programme to place 52 military satellites in orbit over three years, with ISRO building 21 and private Indian companies supplying 31.
• The Joint Military Space Doctrine was released at the Combined Commanders' Conference in Kolkata last September, and a National Military Space Policy is being drafted.