India has plan to release GSAT-11 spacecraft for launch during the end of 2016 or first quarter of 2017. GSAT-11 is a first generation high throughput communication satellite with a lift-off mass of about 5600 kg, operating in Ka/Ku bands. It is a multi-beam satellite with 32 user beams and 8 hub beams over India. It is planned to launch GSAT-11 spacecraft using procured launch services. At present, the indigenous capability to launch this weight class of satellite is not available. The in-orbit testing of GSAT-11 satellite is planned to be conducted from the Master Control Facility (MCF) in Hassan, Karnataka and other suitable locations of ISRO Centres. The spacecraft capability includes providing broadband connectivity to rural areas with higher bandwidth as compared to traditional communication satellites.

GSAT

• The GSAT satellites are India’s indigenously developed technologies of communications satellites, used for digital audio, data and video broadcasting. As of November 2015, 13 GSAT satellites have been launched by ISRO.
• The GSAT series of geosynchronous satellites is a system developed by ISRO with an objective to make India self-reliant in broadcasting services.
• The repertoire of 10 GSAT satellites, a total of 168 transponders (out of which 95 transponders are leased out to provide services to the broadcasters) in the C, Extended C and Ku-bands provides services to telecommunications, television broadcasting, weather forecasting, disaster warning and search and rescue operations.