ISRO Set to Launch India's Heaviest Naval Communications Satellite Using Bahubali Rocket

The LVM3 Bahubali launch vehicle is scheduled to carry the CMS-03 communications satellite to orbit from Sriharikota.

New Delhi:

ISRO is preparing to launch its heavyweight Bahubali rocket on Sunday, carrying a critical communications satellite dedicated to enhancing the Indian Navy's operational capabilities and national defense infrastructure.

Here are the key details about this significant space mission:

The Bahubali rocket launch is scheduled for 5:26 pm Sunday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. This marks the eighth deployment of this powerful rocket model from India's premier spaceport.

Officially designated as Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM-3), the Bahubali rocket has maintained an impressive 100% success rate across all seven of its previous launches.

The LVM-3's most recent mission in 2023 successfully carried India's historic Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission. This homegrown heavy-lift launch vehicle stands 43.5 meters tall, comparable to a 15-story building.

At liftoff, the rocket weighs approximately 642 tonnes, equivalent to 150 fully-grown Asian elephants.

The payload for this mission is the CMS-03 satellite, designed specifically for maritime defense communications to support Indian Navy operations.

Weighing 4,400 kg, CMS-03 represents the heaviest communications satellite India has ever launched into geosynchronous transfer orbit.

This new satellite will replace the GSAT-7 (Rukmini) satellite that has served the Indian Navy since 2013.

CMS-03 features multi-band communication capabilities and will establish secure connections with Indian naval assets within a 2,000 km radius of India's coastline. Each LVM-3 rocket costs approximately Rs 500 crore, with its 16-minute flight powered by indigenously developed cryogenic engine technology.

During Operation Sindoor, the predecessor Rukmini satellite played a crucial role in network-centric operations that helped keep Pakistan's naval forces at bay.

A human-rated version of the LVM-3 Bahubali rocket will be utilized for India's ambitious Gaganyaan Mission, the country's first crewed spaceflight program.