GSAT-7R (CMS-03)

Why in news?

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched the Indian Navy’s advanced communication satellite GSAT-7R (CMS-03) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

• It is the indigenously designed & developed, multi-band communication satellite for Indian Navy.
• Purpose – It will provide telecommunication coverage across the Indian Ocean region between the Navy’s ships, submarines, aircraft, and Maritime Operations Centres.
• Operator – Indian Navy.

Key Features

• Weight – About 4,400 kg, India’s heaviest communication satellite to date launched to GTO from Indian soil.
• Launch vehicle – Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM3).
• Orbit – Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).
• Mission life - ~12–15 years.
• Replacement – GSAT-7R is a replacement and upgrade for the existing GSAT-7 (Rukmini) satellite, which was nearing the end of its operational life.
• Equipped with – State-of-the-art indigenous components, carried Ku-band, S-band, C-band and ultra-high frequency band transponders capable of supporting voice, data, and video links over multiple communication bands.
• Alings with – India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision, enabling the armed forces to operate with enhanced situational awareness and secure, high-capacity communication links in complex maritime environments.
• Preparing for Gaganyaan –
  • Recent launch showcased the LVM3 rocket's ability to carry satellites over 4 tonnes to GTO, this reduces India's reliance on foreign launchers for heavy communication satellites.
  • It also supports ISRO’s Gaganyaan mission by validating the LVM3 platform, which will be evolved for India’s first human spaceflight.

India’s previous heavy satellites were the 5,854-kg GSAT 11 & 4,181-kg GSAT-24 were launched by Ariane space & The GSAT-20, 4,700-kg satellite by SpaceX.

References

1. The Hindu | ISRO has successfully the GSAT-7R satellite
2. ISRO | LVM3-M5/CMS-03 MISSION