Indian Army’s first dedicated communications satellite GSAT-7B set for mid-2028 launch

India’s first dedicated communications satellite for the Army, GSAT-7B, is now expected to be launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation around mid-2028, after officials said the mission has slipped by about six months from its earlier target of November 2027.

The five-tonne geostationary satellite will be the heaviest communications satellite India has built so far. Once in orbit, it is meant to give the Army secure, round-the-clock communications across remote border areas and difficult terrain, where terrestrial networks are often unavailable or vulnerable. Officials said the satellite is intended to support day-to-day military operations and battlefield command and control by enabling beyond-line-of-sight communications for deployed troops, military formations, weapon systems, airborne platforms and other critical assets.

The project addresses a long-standing gap in the Army’s space-based communication capability. At present, the Army does not have its own dedicated communications satellite and depends on the Indian Air Force’s GSAT-7A. In March 2023, the Ministry of Defence signed a contract worth about ₹3,000 crore, reported as ₹2,963 crore, with NewSpace India Limited, ISRO’s commercial arm, for the indigenous design, development and manufacture of GSAT-7B.

Officials attributed the revised launch timeline to technical reasons. The delay comes as India increasingly treats space-based communications as an essential part of military resilience, especially in conflict situations when ground networks may be damaged, jammed or otherwise disrupted.

GSAT-7B is part of a wider expansion of India’s military space architecture. The Navy currently operates GSAT-7, also known as Rukmini, which was launched in 2013, and GSAT-7R, which was launched in November 2025. The Air Force has GSAT-7A, launched in 2018, and the Ministry of Defence signed a separate ₹2,563-crore contract with NSIL last week for GSAT-7C, another dedicated communications satellite for the IAF. The Army has so far used a portion of GSAT-7A’s capacity.

These procurements and satellite projects fit into a broader policy framework laid out in the Joint Military Space Doctrine released in 2025 and the Cabinet Committee on Security’s approval in October 2024 of Phase III of the Space Based Surveillance programme. Under that programme, India plans to launch 52 dedicated military satellites in a ₹26,968-crore project involving ISRO and private industry.

For the Army, GSAT-7B is expected to strengthen network-centric warfare capabilities, particularly in high-altitude areas and along sensitive borders, by providing dedicated, secure and jam-resistant connectivity.