GSAT-7B, the Indian Army's First Dedicated Communication Satellite, Targeted for a Mid-2028 Launch

22 October 2026National

ISRO is targeting a mid-2028 launch for GSAT-7B, the Indian Army's first dedicated communication satellite, which will carry secure voice, data and video links for troops in high-altitude and border areas and reduce the Army's dependence on Air Force and civilian capacity. The Ministry of Defence signed a ₹2,963 crore contract with NewSpace India Limited, ISRO's commercial arm, in March 2023 for its indigenous design and manufacture, and it is billed as India's heaviest communication satellite. It follows GSAT-7 Rukmini for the Navy and GSAT-7A for the Air Force, and runs alongside the Navy's GSAT-7C and Varunastra contracts cleared in October 2026.

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ISRO was founded in 1969 and is headquartered at Bengaluru under the Department of Space, with Antrix and NewSpace India Limited as its commercial arms | GSAT-7, nicknamed Rukmini, was launched in 2013 for the Indian Navy and provides maritime communication over the Indian Ocean Region | NewSpace India Limited was incorporated in March 2019 and is headquartered in Bengaluru

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