Read, Watch or Listen

India launched CMS-03, also known as GSAT-7R, on an LVM3 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, lifting off early Sunday at 6:56 a.m. EST. About 16 minutes later, the 4,400-kilogram craft reached geostationary transfer orbit, the heaviest communications satellite ever sent to GTO from Indian soil, ISRO said. CMS-03 will drift to geostationary orbit to serve as a key link for the Indian Navy, succeeding GSAT-7. With upgraded multi-band payloads, it is designed for real-time naval operations, air defence and strategic command. The mission marked LVM3’s eighth flight.

Prepared by Jonathan Pierce and reviewed by editorial team.