The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is scheduled to launch the Indian Navy’s GSAT 7R communication satellite, also designated as the CMS-03, on Sunday evening.
The countdown has begun as the CMS-03, said to be India's heaviest communication satellite at 4,400kg, remains mounted on the 43.5-metre-tall Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM-3) M5 rocket—nicknamed 'Bahubali', in a reference to its ability to 'carry' the heavy satellite.
The launch will take place from the second launchpad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota, and can be livestreamed from ISRO's YouTube channel.
The livestream will begin from 4:56 PM onwards, offering a glimpse into the final preparations before the LVM-3 M5 lifts off at 5:26 PM.
The CMS-03, developed for the Indian Navy, is expected to provide a major boost for space-based naval communications and maritime capabilities. Many of its indigenous state-of-the-art components were developed specifically to meet the Indian Navy’s operational requirements, the defence ministry has said.
The multi-band military satellite will be launched into a sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) of 29,970 km x 170 km from the Earth's surface, enabling it to cover a wide region including India and its naval borders.
(More details are awaited.)
