GSAT-24 satellite built by The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)for NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) was successfully launched by a French company Arianespace from Kourou in French Guiana (South America) on Thursday.

ISRO’s GSAT-24 is a 24-Ku band communication satellite whose weight was 4180kg with pan-India coverage for meeting DTH application needs. Well, GSAT-24 in its first 'demand-driven' communication satellite mission post space sector reforms have leased the entire satellite capacity on board to its committed customer Tata Play, the DTH business of Tata Group, for meeting their DTH application needs.

GSAT-24 was launched on-board Ariane-V VA257 flight from the Guiana Space Centre and the satellite was successfully placed into geostationary orbit by the Ariane 5 rocket, operated by French company Arianespace from Kourou in French Guiana.

The Ariane 5 has successfully placed two satellites into geostationary orbit: MEASAT-3d for the Malaysian operator MEASAT, and GSAT-24, Arianespace said after launching them on-board Ariane-V VA257 flight from the Guiana Space Centre, Europe's spaceport in Kourou.

According to the report earlier this month, GSAT-24 after completing assembly has gone through integration and environmental test which was cleared by PSR (Pre-Shipment Review) committee on May 2. Later the satellite and its allied equipment were carefully shipped to Kourou, French Guiana on May 18 using C-17 Globemaster aircraft.

In April, the France-based satellite launch service Arianespace announced that India's newest space PSU NSIL's first demand-driven communication satellite for Tata Sky will be launched on June 22.

In June 2020, as a part of 'space reforms,' the Government announced that NSIL was mandated to undertake operational satellite missions on a 'demand driven' model. Along with this, it has the responsibility to build, launch, own & operate satellites and provide proper services to its committed customers. ISIL Chairman and Managing Director Radhakrishnan Durairaj said, 'The entire mission was fully funded by NSIL - satellite, the launch, launch campaign, insurance, transportation, in-orbit maintenance and also support. Once the satellite is up in orbit, it will be fully owned and operated by NSIL'.

An NSIL official has explained the 'Demand-driven' model which means when the satellite is launched, one will get the knowledge about its end customers and also the kind of utilization and commitment to have very effective utilization of this satellite capacity once it goes into orbit.

'Earlier, the model was more supply-driven, with capacity being leased after the launch with largely no firm commitment by customers beforehand', the official noted.