ISRO launches heaviest ever GSAT-7R satellite using LVM3-M5 rocket, read how it will supercharge the capabilities of Indian Navy
In a remarkable feat, the Indian Space Research Organisation launched the Indian Navy’s GSAT-7R (CMS-03) satellite on Sunday (2nd November) at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. What sets the spacecraft apart is that it is India’s heaviest communication satellite to be launched from the country’s soil into the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).
GSAT-7R equipped with indigenous state-of-the-art components
The multi-band communication satellite is expected to boost the Indian Navy’s space-based communications and enhance its maritime domain awareness capabilities. The indigenously developed satellite marks a significant milestone in India’s journey towards self-reliance in space technologies and bolsters India’s sovereign defence communication infrastructure. The satellite is a specimen of the country’s ascending capabilities with respect to designing, building, and launching complex mission-critical satellites. It will remove India’s dependence on the Inmarsat constellation for the strategic communication needs of naval assets.
GSAT-7R is an entirely indigenously made satellite weighs around 4,400 kg and is equipped with many indigenous state-of-the-art components developed specifically to meet the Indian Navy’s operational requirements. It will provide strong telecommunication coverage across the Indian Ocean Region, a wide oceanic region including the Indian landmass. The satellite will considerably enhance connectivity with high-capacity bandwidth, enabling seamless and secure communication links between ships, aircraft, submarines, and Maritime Operations Centres of the Indian Navy. The satellite will strengthen India’s network-centric warfare capabilities by providing real-time, secure voice, video, and data transmission across naval assets, including warships, submarines, aircraft, and shore-based command centres.
GSAT-7R will replace GSAT-7 (Rukmini), which was launched in 2013. Both satellites are dedicated to the Indian Navy. Belonging to the same series, the GSAT-7A satellite was launched for the Indian Air Force.
The satellite’s journey to its destination
Like other geostationary satellites launched by ISRO, GSAT-7R will first enter the GTO, which is around 36,000 kilometres above the planet at its farthest point. Then the Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) will come into play to raise the orbit. Thereafter, the LAM engine will fire multiple times in a carefully orchestrated sequence and duration to adjust the apogee and perigee, achieving a perfect geostationary orbit.
The LAM will initially fire at the perigee (the closest point to Earth) to raise the apogee, followed by a second firing at the apogee (the farthest point) to gradually circularise the orbit. The entire process is expected to take 4-7 days. After the desired orbit is achieved, it will take another 4-5 weeks for satellite commissioning.
The LVM3 launch vehicle
The satellite has been launched aboard the LVM3-M5 launch vehicle, which is referred to as ‘Bahubali’ for its heavy-lift capabilities. The LVM3, also known as Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) MkIII, earlier launched the Chandrayaan-3 mission, which made India the first country to make a successful landing on the Moon’s south pole. The LVM3 is ISRO’s operational heavy lift Launch vehicle with a positive record of completing several successful missions. The launch, the fifth Operational Flight of the LVM3, was carried out from the Second Launch Pad (SLP), SDSC, SHAR.
The 43.5 metre tall LVM3-M5 launch vehicle was fully assembled and integrated with the satellite before being moved to the second launch pad for pre-launch operations on October 26, 2025. The three-stage rocket was fitted with two solid motor strap-ons (S200), a liquid propellant core stage (L110) and a cryogenic stage (C25). The vehicle provides ISRO much-needed self-reliance in launching heavier communication satellites weighing up to 4,000 kg in GTO.
The entire project was funded by the Ministry of Defence at a cost of ₹1,589 crore (approximately US$225.65 million), and was contracted in June 2019.
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