India successfully launched its heaviest-ever communication satellite on Sunday, marking another milestone in the nation’s rapidly advancing space programme.
The CMS-03 satellite lifted off from Sriharikota in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh at 5:26 pm local time (11:56 GMT).
“Our space sector continues to make us proud!” remarked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has set a goal of landing an Indian astronaut on the Moon by 2040.
Weighing approximately 4,410 kilograms, the CMS-03 is the “heaviest communication satellite” ever launched in India, according to a statement from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) released on Thursday.
The Indian Navy said the satellite would help “secure communication links between ships, aircraft, submarines”.
The CMS-03 satellite was sent into orbit from the towering 43.5 metre tall LVM3-M5 launch vehicle.
It is an upgraded version of the rocket that launched India’s unmanned craft that landed on the Moon in August 2023.
Only Russia, the United States and China have previously achieved a controlled landing on the lunar surface.
The country has flexed its spacefaring ambitions in the last decade, with its space programme growing considerably in size and momentum.
Shubhanshu Shukla, a test pilot with the Indian Air Force, this year became the second Indian to travel to space and the first to reach the International Space Station — a key step towards India’s own crewed mission planned for 2027.
Source: Dunya News