The satellite is intended to add data transmission capacity to the communication infrastructure required by Smart Cities Mission of India.

The satellite features a Ka-band high-throughput communications payload with 70 Gbit/s[7] throughput utilizing 40 beams offering HTS capacity of nearly 48 Gbit/s.

[13] Hence, the commercial arm of ISRO, New Space India Limited signed a contract with SpaceX for a possible liftoff in the second quarter of 2024.

The SpaceX deal is significant because India had previously relied on the France-led Arianespace consortium to launch its heavy communication satellites, including the now-retired Ariane 5, which ISRO was hoping to use as a backup.

India's own rockets lack the capacity for launching very heavy satellites to the geostationary orbit beyond 4-ton class, a problem that is planned to be fixed with the introduction of the NGLV.