GSAT-29

GSAT-29 is a high-throughput communication satellite developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The mission aims at providing high-speed bandwidth to Village Resource Centres (VRC) in rural areas. The two Ku and Ka operational payloads will provide communication services to Jammu and Kashmir and Northeast India under Digital India programme. At the time of launch GSAT-29 was the heaviest satellite, weighing 3423 kg, that was placed in orbit by an Indian launch vehicle. Approved cost of GSAT-29 is.

Payloads
Apart from its main communication payload in Ka/Ku bands, GSAT-29 hosts few experimental payloads to mature their technology for use in future spacecraft.


 * Q band and V band payload: experimental microwave communication payloads
 * Optical Communication Technology (OCT) payload: experimental payload for optical communication.
 * GEO imaging High Resolution Camera (GHRC): for high resolution imaging from geosynchronous orbit. It has 55 meter resolution and can image in six VNIR spectral bands at ~0.6 sec/frame.

Launch
The satellite was launched on 14 November 2018 through the second developmental flight of LVM3, that placed the GSAT-29 satellite into its planned geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) over the equator. It joins the Indian National Satellite System (INSAT) fleet in geostationary orbit.