Explained | ISRO to launch CMS-03 on Nov 2. All you need to know about India's heaviest communication satellite

CMS-03 is a multi-band military communication satellite that will provide services over a wide oceanic region

India's heaviest communication satellite, CMS-03, is scheduled to be launched on November 2 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

ISRO's latest update on the mission said, "The launch vehicle has been fully assembled and integrated with the spacecraft and was moved to the launchpad on October 26, for further pre-launch operations."

Features of CMS-03

• CMS-03, also known as GSAT-7R, is a multi-band military communication satellite that will provide services over a wide oceanic region, including the Indian landmass.

• CMS-03, weighing about 4,400 kg, will be the heaviest communication satellite to be launched to the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) from Indian soil.

• CMS-03 serves as a military communication satellite, exclusively for the Indian Navy and strengthens its operational reach across critical maritime domains.

• It offers higher-capacity bandwidth, thus improving digital access to remote territories. This will aid both civilian agencies and help improve strategic applications.

• The satellite includes next-gen payload transponders for voice, data, and video links over C, extended C, and Ku bands.

When and where will CMS-03 get launched?

The multi-band military communication satellite CMS-03 is scheduled to take off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, on Sunday, November 2, 2025.

LVM3- Specialities of cms-03's launch vehicle

• The LVM3 rocket is India's heaviest launch vehicle and can carry up to 4,000 kg to space.

• It has successfully launched missions like Chandrayaan-3 to the moon, which made India the first country to land successfully near the lunar south pole.

• The designated LVM3-M5 will be its fifth operational flight.

Last week, ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan announced the launch of a Block 2 BlueBird communications satellite by the year-end. Developed by the US-based AST SpaceMobile, it will also be launched on board the LVM3 rocket from Sriharikota.