New Delhi — The Indian Army's first dedicated communications satellite, GSAT-7B, is now expected to be launched by ISRO around mid-2028, top officials told Hindustan Times in a report published on October 19, 2026. The launch was initially planned for November 2027 and has been delayed by about six months for technical reasons.

The five-tonne geostationary satellite will give the Army secure beyond-line-of-sight communication for troops, formations, weapon systems and airborne platforms in remote and border terrain.

Unlike the Navy and the Air Force, the Army has no dedicated communications satellite of its own and currently uses part of the capacity of the Air Force's GSAT-7A.

The Ministry of Defence signed a contract worth Rs 2,963 crore (yaani about Rs 29.63 billion) with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), ISRO's commercial arm, on March 29, 2023, for the indigenous design, development and manufacture of GSAT-7B.

Last week, on October 15, 2026, the defence ministry signed a separate Rs 2,563 crore contract for GSAT-7C, a dedicated communications satellite for the Air Force.

Sources: Hindustan Times, WION, SSB Crack, and the Ministry of Defence / PIB contract release of March 2023.