In a major boost to India’s maritime security network, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 2nd November successfully launched the Indian Navy’s latest communication satellite GSAT-7R, designated CMS-03, aboard its heavy-lift rocket LVM3 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.
The 4.4-tonne satellite, India’s most advanced military communication spacecraft to date, will enhance the Navy’s real-time communication and surveillance capabilities across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
At 5:26 p.m., the three-stage LVM3 rocket, standing 43.5 metres tall and weighing 642 ton, lifted off from the second launch pad in a textbook-style mission. About 16 minutes later, it successfully injected GSAT-7R into its intended orbit, drawing applause and cheers from mission control.
Major Boost for India’s Stratcomm Capacity
After the launch, ISRO Chairman and Secretary, Department of Space, Dr. V. Narayanan said: “I am happy to announce that LVM3 has successfully injected the CMS-03 satellite into its intended orbit.” Congratulating the ISRO team and industry partners, Narayanan noted that this marks the eighth consecutive successful mission of the LVM3 rocket.
Highlighting the achievement, he said the CMS-03 satellite weighs about 4.4 ton, and the rocket’s payload capacity has been enhanced by 10%. The satellite is expected to provide services for 15 years.
Narayanan also emphasised another technological milestone — the reignition of the first chamber of the rocket’s cryogenic stage, enabling multi-orbit launches. Added M. Mohan, Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, the cryogenic engine was successfully restarted in a hard vacuum, allowing greater flexibility for future satellite missions.
Mohan also mentioned that the CMS-03 carries the largest propellant tank ever used by ISRO. Looking ahead, Narayanan said ISRO plans seven more launches before the end of this fiscal year. The next mission, scheduled for the second week of December, will use an LVM3 rocket to place a customer satellite (BlueBird satellite belonging to AST SpaceMobile, US) into orbit. Subsequent missions will involve polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV), small satellite launch vehicle (SSLV) and gensynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) rockets, including the launch of the geoimaging satellite GISAT.
He further revealed that a PSLV rocket will soon carry a technology demonstration satellite to test 34 new space technologies. The PSLV jointly built by HAL and L&T is currently being assembled and is slated to fly within this fiscal year.
Regarding India’s human space mission, Gaganyaan, Narayanan confirmed that one of the three uncrewed test missions will take place this fiscal year, featuring the robot astronaut Vyommitra. Most of the required hardware has already reached the launch site, and assembly activities are underway.
CMS-03- Boost to the Indian Navy’s Secure Communication Network
According to Indian Ministry of Defence, GSAT-7R will provide robust telecommunication coverage across the IOR through high-capacity transponders capable of supporting voice, data, and video links over multiple communication bands.
GSAT-7R will replace GSAT-7 ‘Rukmini’, a 2.65-ton satellite launched in 2013 by Arianespace’s Ariane-5 rocket. Together with GSAT-7A, already serving the Indian Air Force, the new satellite will further consolidate India’s network of dedicated defence communication satellites.
A Smart Tweak for a Heavy Payload
Notably, GSAT-7R is the heaviest communication satellite ever launched from Indian soil. The LVM3, typically rated to carry around 4 tons to a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), was able to loft the heavier satellite thanks to an innovative mission design tweak.
Instead of the conventional 36,000 km apogee, the GTO apogee for this mission was set at about 29,970 km (±3,700 km). Former ISRO Chairman Dr. S. Somanath explained that the satellite would use its own propulsion system to reach the final Geostationary Orbit (GSO), a more efficient approach overall.
However, a retired ISRO official noted that using the satellite’s onboard fuel for orbit raising could marginally reduce its operational life.
Solid morale booster after setbacks
The successful mission comes as a morale booster for ISRO following a series of costly failures in orbiting strategic satellites earlier this year. The agency lost EOS-09 (worth ₹850 crore) on 18th May 2025, and NVS-02 (₹300 crore) on 29th January 2025, which was meant to replace the ageing IRNSS-1E in India’s regional navigation system.
In 2021, India lost the GISAT-1 satellite when the GSLV-F10 rocket’s cryogenic stage failed to ignite, and in 2017, the IRNSS-1H mission failed after a PSLV heat shield malfunction trapped the satellite inside.
Published by Venkatachari Jagannathan
V.Jagannathan (Byline Venkatachari Jagannathan), is a freelance journalist based in Chennai, India covering the country’s space, nuclear, insurance, automobile and several other industries. Jagannathan was with IANS newswire, one of India’s premier news agencies and his articles – news, news analysis, interviews, profiles and others- on various sectors were published in several leading print, online publications within and outside India. He was also with India’s first online business magazine www.domain-b.com. A school and college chess player Jagannathan also writes about Indian chess and has covered World Chess Championships, Chess Olympiads and others.