GSAT-29 is a multi-beam, multi-band ISRO communication satellite meant to bring high-throughput links to users including those in Jammu & Kashmir and the North East. At 3423 kg, ISRO called it the heaviest satellite launched from India when it flew in November 2018.
GSAT-29 carries Ka/Ku-band high-throughput transponders to help bridge the digital divide, including for users in Jammu & Kashmir and the North Eastern region.
It also carries technology demonstrations: a Q/V-band payload for higher radio frequencies, a Geo-stationary High Resolution Camera, and an optical communication payload used for data transmission for the first time.
The satellite weighed 3423 kg at launch and is built on ISRO's enhanced I-3K bus. Its solar panels generate 4600 W.
GSLV Mk III-D2, the rocket's second developmental flight, launched GSAT-29 from the Second Launch Pad at Sriharikota at 5:08 pm IST on 14 November 2018, into a geosynchronous transfer orbit.
The public satellite catalogue carries GSAT-29 with an operational flag in geostationary orbit.