CHENNAI/BENGALURU: Isro Sunday launched the 4,410kg CMS-03 or the Gsat-7R, a communication satellite that will enhance telecommunication coverage across the strategic Indian Ocean Region (IOR) for the Indian Navy.The launch of the heaviest communication satellite from Indian soil onboard LVM3-M5 from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, marked the fifth operational flight of LVM3. The mission also saw a new in-orbit experiment – a successful re-ignition of the cryogenic upper stage.About 16 minutes after lift-off, LVM-3 placed Gsat-7R into a sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (sub-GTO) with a perigee (farthest point from Earth) of only 26,700km. Gsat-7R is designed to replace Gsat-7 (Rukmini), which was launched in 2013 and is primarily dedicated to Indian Navy, while Isro had launched another satellite from the same family – Gsat-7A – for the Indian Air Force.As per the Navy, Gsat-7R includes many indigenous state-of-the-art components developed specifically to meet its operational requirements. The Navy said that in an era of complex security challenges, the satellite represents its determination to protect the nation’s maritime interests, leveraging advanced technology through self-reliance.”Gsat-7R will provide robust telecommunication coverage across IOR. Its payload includes transponders capable of supporting voice, data, and video links over multiple communication bands. This satellite will significantly enhance connectivity with high-capacity bandwidth, enabling seamless and secure communication links between ships, aircraft, submarines, and Maritime Operations Centres,” the Navy stated.UR Rao Satellite Center director M Sankaran said the satellite carries advanced payloads in multiple frequency bands – UHF, S-band, C-band and Ku-band – and includes several indigenous technologies such as a 1,200-litre propulsion tank and collapsible antenna systems. “All systems are functioning normally. The satellite is healthy, and all isolation valves have opened as expected,” Sankaran said.As per Isro’s own description of LVM-3, its capacity to GTO (around 36,000km perigee) is only 4,000 tonnes. Until Sunday, all satellites Isro put into GTO using an LVM-3 have weighed under 4,000kg -anything heavier than that has been launched using foreign launch vehicles.Isro chairman V Narayanan said: “…The vehicle performance was enhanced to increase its payload capacity by 10%. The satellite has a life of 15 years and carries a host of new technologies. We accomplished this mission despite difficult weather conditions.”
