ET Exclusive: Jio eyes September 2027 test flight
Reliance Jio is planning a test flight for its low earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation in September 2027, revealed sources familiar with the matter. The test flight will involve sending a few satellites into space to evaluate the hardware, software, and other technologies before the company initiates large-scale deployment in early 2028.
The company aims to launch a constellation of 1,600 satellites for its satellite communication (satcom) business. Jio has filed an application with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to secure orbit slots for the constellation. The plan includes deploying 400-450 satellites by 2030 and completing the constellation by 2035, according to sources.
The constellation is expected to have a capacity of up to 150 Gbps, following approval from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), the regulatory body. The test flight is expected to send around 90-100 minimum coverage satellites, which could enable India to start receiving satellite connectivity in 2028.
Jio's primary focus is to deliver high-speed broadband to underserved regions in India using high throughput satellites (HTS). The company's constellation is projected to offer a capacity of 100-150 gigabits per second (Gbps) throughput per satellite. When fully deployed, 30-32 satellites will be in orbit over India, providing a capacity of 4-4.8 terabits per second (Tbps), the highest among the LEO constellations planned for the country.
The Jio satellites will be positioned at an altitude of 650 km, slightly higher than those of competitors Starlink and Amazon Leo.
Written by urgent.news from The Economic Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
