HT Exclusive| Army to get own communications satellite by mid-2028: Top officials

GSAT-7B is a planned Indian communications satellite dedicated to the Army. Its main purpose is to strengthen military connectivity, especially across remote borders and difficult terrain. This matters because reliable communication supports command, coordination, and daily operations.

The satellite will provide beyond-line-of-sight links for deployed troops and military formations. It will also connect weapon systems, airborne platforms, and other mission-critical assets. Secure, continuous access should help commanders exchange information and direct forces when ordinary links are limited.

The Army currently relies on the Indian Air Force’s GSAT-7A because it does not have its own satellite. The defence ministry signed a ₹3,000-crore contract with NewSpace India Limited in March 2023 to develop GSAT-7B. ISRO is expected to launch it around mid-2028, after a six-month delay from the original schedule.

GSAT-7B is expected to be launched by ISRO around mid-2028. The launch was initially scheduled for November 2027. The revised timing matters because the satellite is intended to give the Army its own secure communications backbone.

According to officials aware of the matter, the schedule has moved by six months because of technical reasons. The article does not identify the specific technical issue. The delay therefore changes the expected timetable but does not alter the satellite’s intended military role.

Until the launch, the Army will continue relying on the IAF’s GSAT-7A for communication requirements. The satellite is being developed under a ₹3,000-crore contract signed by the defence ministry with NewSpace India Limited in March 2023. Once launched, GSAT-7B should improve connectivity for troops and formations operating across challenging terrain.

GSAT-7B is a five-tonne geostationary communications satellite. The article describes it as India’s heaviest communications satellite to date. That makes the project notable not only for the Army’s communications needs, but also for India’s satellite development capability.

Its large platform is designed to provide beyond-line-of-sight communications. The links will serve deployed troops, military formations, weapon systems, airborne platforms, and other mission-critical assets. This broad coverage gives the satellite a role in command, coordination, and operational support rather than serving only one type of unit.

The satellite’s weight does not by itself guarantee uninterrupted communication. Its importance comes from the services it is designed to deliver across remote areas and difficult terrain. The launch is now expected around mid-2028, after a six-month delay from November 2027 because of technical reasons, according to officials cited in the article.

The Army currently lacks a dedicated communications satellite, unlike the Indian Air Force and the Navy. It therefore relies on the IAF’s GSAT-7A for communication requirements. Its own satellite would give the Army a communications system designed around its forces, missions, and operating environments.

This matters especially for troops and formations spread across remote borders and challenging terrain. GSAT-7B is designed to provide secure, round-the-clock, beyond-line-of-sight connectivity. It will support battlefield command and control, weapon systems, airborne platforms, and other mission-critical assets.

The move also addresses a long-standing requirement. The defence ministry signed a ₹3,000-crore contract with NewSpace India Limited in March 2023 to develop GSAT-7B. The satellite is expected to launch around mid-2028. The IAF is also set to receive another dedicated satellite, GSAT-7C, under a separate ₹2,563-crore contract.

Terrestrial communication networks can be disrupted or damaged during conflict, including through enemy action. When that happens, military units may lose dependable links for sharing information and receiving instructions. This can make coordination across formations and distant areas more difficult.

GSAT-7B is intended to provide a resilient alternative through space-based communications. Its beyond-line-of-sight links would connect deployed troops, military formations, weapon systems, airborne platforms, and other mission-critical assets. Secure, round-the-clock connectivity could help commanders maintain contact across remote borders and challenging terrain.

The article identifies resilient communication as a critical wartime need, but it does not describe a specific failure scenario or operational outcome. GSAT-7B is expected around mid-2028 and would strengthen the Army’s communications backbone. The article also notes that China can disrupt satellite signals, making resilience and protection important for future military operations.

The article states that China is known to have capabilities to disrupt satellite signals using jammers and other anti-satellite technologies. Jamming can interfere with the signals needed to send or receive information. Other anti-satellite actions could threaten the satellite itself or its ability to support operations.

The article does not list specific backup systems. In general, military networks can reduce this risk through encrypted and interference-resistant links, multiple satellites, alternate terrestrial or airborne connections, and redundant ground stations. Frequency changes and rapid switching between available paths can also help maintain contact when one link is blocked.

These protections are most effective when planned as a layered network rather than depending on one satellite. GSAT-7B would strengthen the Army’s communications backbone, but it would not remove every vulnerability. Its role would be part of a wider effort to preserve command and control during conflict and across difficult operating environments.

A geostationary satellite travels above the equator and takes the same time to orbit Earth as Earth takes to rotate. From the ground, it appears to remain over one location. Ground antennas can therefore keep pointing toward it instead of constantly tracking a moving satellite.

That stable position is useful for communications. A satellite can relay signals between distant ground terminals, helping connect troops and command centres over a broad area. For the Army, this can support secure, round-the-clock, beyond-line-of-sight connectivity across remote border areas and difficult terrain.

The article identifies GSAT-7B as a five-tonne geostationary satellite. It is designed to serve troops, military formations, weapon systems, airborne platforms, and other mission-critical assets. Its expected launch is around mid-2028, following a six-month delay from November 2027 for technical reasons. Geostationary orbit supports continuity, but the article also notes that satellite signals can face jamming or other threats.