ISRO Launches India’s Heaviest Communication Satellite CMS-03

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the 4,410 kg multiband communication satellite CMS-03 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched the country’s heaviest communication satellite, CMS-03. The launch was carried out from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, using the country’s most powerful rocket, Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM3).
• For the first time, ISRO will place a 4,410 kg satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) of about 29,970 km x 170 km from Indian soil. It is also a replacement for the GSAT 7 series launched in 2013.
• The LVM3 rocket is India’s heaviest launch vehicle and can carry up to 4,000 kg into space. It has successfully launched lunar missions like Chandrayaan-3, making India the first country to land successfully near the Moon’s south pole.
• The scheduled LVM3-M5 will be its fifth operational flight. The CMS-03 payload includes transponders for voice, data, and video links in C, Extended C, and Ku bands. This satellite will significantly enhance connectivity for the Navy.

CMS-03

• It is a multi-band military communication satellite, also known as GSAT-7R. It will provide services over a vast maritime area, including Indian territory.
• The CMS-03 payload includes transponders for voice, data, and video links in C, Extended C, and Ku bands. This satellite will significantly boost connectivity for the Navy.
• It will also provide high-capacity bandwidth, improving digital access to remote areas. This will assist civilian agencies and help enhance strategic applications.

Some communication satellites weighing more than 4,000 kg

• India’s previous heavy satellites – it also has some communication satellites weighing more than 4,000 kg – were placed into orbit by other private launchers.
• The 5,854 kg GSAT 11 and the 4,181 kg GSAT-24 were launched by Arianespace. Last year, ISRO also used Elon Musk’s SpaceX services to place the 4,700 kg GSAT-20 satellite into orbit.

LVM-3

• Earlier known as the Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle Mark 3 or GSLV Mk 3, it uses solid, liquid, and cryogenic fuel-based engines to place payloads of up to 8,000 kg into low Earth orbit (up to 2,000 km above Earth’s surface) and up to 4,000 kg into geosynchronous orbit (around 36,000 km).
• The GSLV-Mark 3 rocket was later adapted in 2022, during the Russia-Ukraine war, to launch 72 OneWeb satellites in two launches to low Earth orbit, leading to the renaming of the rocket.
• GSLV-Mk3, in its first flight in 2014, carried the country’s first re-entry test crew module into orbit.