ISRO to Launch Heaviest-Ever Naval Communication Satellite GSAT-7R Today

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch the Indian Navy’s GSAT-7R (CMS-03) communication satellite on Sunday evening, marking India’s heaviest communication satellite deployment to date. Weighing about 4,400 kg, the indigenously built satellite will significantly boost the Navy’s secure, space-based communications and maritime domain awareness.

The launch is scheduled for 5:26 pm from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, and will be broadcast live on ISRO’s YouTube channel.

Designed as a multi-band satellite, GSAT-7R will provide coverage across the Indian Ocean region, including the Indian landmass. “This satellite includes several indigenous, state-of-the-art components developed specifically to meet the Indian Navy’s operational requirements,” the Navy said in a statement.

The mission will be carried out using ISRO’s LVM3 launch vehicle, the same heavy-lift rocket that successfully placed Chandrayaan-3 on course to the Moon. This will be the rocket’s fifth operational flight and the first time it launches a communication satellite of this scale to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).

The 43.5-metre-tall rocket, weighing 642 tonnes at liftoff, will release CMS-03 at an altitude of around 179 km, travelling at nearly 10 km per second. The vehicle, already stationed on the launch pad since October 26, will execute an eight-stage sequence during ascent.

If successful, the launch will further solidify India’s indigenous capability in strategic space-based communication systems.