Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX)

US launch + satellite operator — Falcon 9 launched 4 Indian satellites; Starlink India licence pending.

spaceforeign-oem-with-indialaunch-vehicleOperationalTier B
Country: US
Space

Last verified:

At a Glance

Headquarters
Hawthorne, California, USA
Type
Launch vehicle OEM and satellite operator
Founded
2002
India entity
No India entity (commercial launch services + Starlink India bid)
Listed
Private (Elon Musk-owned)
Key India role
SpaceX operates the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Starship launch vehicles and the Starlink LEO satellite internet constellation. SpaceX has launched 4 Indian satellites to orbit (Pixxel Firefly x3, Dig
indicators
[]
key specs
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What It Is

SpaceX operates the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Starship launch vehicles and the Starlink LEO satellite internet constellation. SpaceX has launched 4 Indian satellites to orbit (Pixxel Firefly x3, Digantara SCOT, Azista BST AFR, HEX20 Nila) via Falcon 9 rideshare in 2023-2025. SpaceX's Starlink has been in regulatory negotiation with the Indian government for a India licence since 2022; the DoT approved Starlink's licence in 2025 subject to security conditions. NSIL contracted Falcon 9 to launch the GSAT-N2 (rebadged as GSAT-20) communication satellite in November 2024 — the first ISRO satellite launched by SpaceX.

Sources: [1][2][3]

Deployments & Procurement

2 documented India deployment(s)/procurement(s).

AgencyContextYearQuantity / NoteSources
Pixxel, Digantara, Azista BST, HEX20 (Indian startups)Falcon 9 rideshare launches20234 satellites[1][2]
NSILGSAT-N2 communication satellite launch2024-11-181 satellite[1][2]

Open Questions

  • Has Starlink's India licence been fully operationalised?
  • Will SpaceX launch additional Indian government satellites on Falcon 9?

Import Dependencies

Not analysed in this dossier.

Sources

  1. src-01Indicative
    SpaceX — official site
    SpaceX·accessed 2026-08-30

    SpaceX official site [Domain root only; demoted to indicative per Atlas source-quality rule.]

  2. src-02Official
    SpaceX Falcon 9 launches GSAT-N2 for NSIL — ISRO press release
    ISRO·2024-11-18·accessed 2026-08-30

    ISRO press release on GSAT-N2 launch by SpaceX Falcon 9

  3. src-03Credible
    Starlink India licence — Economic Times
    Economic Times·2025-06-15·accessed 2026-08-30

    Coverage of Starlink India licence approval

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