On November 2, 2025, ISRO’s LVM3-M5 rocket, also known as 'Bahubali' for its heavy lift capability, successfully lifted off from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

The launch vehicle stood 43.5 meters tall and consisted of three stages: two solid motor strap-on boosters (S200) developed at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, a liquid propellant core stage (L110) powered by two Vikas engines from the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, and a cryogenic upper stage (C25).

The payload was CMS-03, a 4,410 kg multi-band strategic communication satellite, the heaviest ever launched from Indian soil into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). The mission aimed to place CMS-03 into an elliptical GTO with an apogee of approximately 29,970 km and perigee near 170 km, covering a wide oceanic region including the Indian landmass to provide enhanced communication services.

C-25 cryogenic stage in action minutes before the injection phase of the CMS-03 satellite

After lift-off, the two S200 boosters provided the necessary thrust to clear the atmosphere, followed by core stage ignition and sequential stage separations.

The cryogenic upper stage performed precise orbital injection, successfully placing CMS-03 into its designated transfer orbit. The satellite was confirmed separated and operational, beginning its mission to bolster communication infrastructure over the Indian subcontinent and adjoining maritime regions.

This mission marked the fifth operational flight of the LVM3 rocket, which had previously launched the Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission, and demonstrated ISRO’s growing capability to handle larger payloads from Indian soil in a cost-effective and reliable manner.

The government has officially classified CMS-03 (also known as GSAT-7R) as a military communication satellite. It is funded entirely by the Ministry of Defence and designed exclusively for the Indian Navy's use to provide secure, multi-band communication links across the Indian Ocean region.

Funded by the Ministry of Defence at a cost of ₹1,589 crore ($225.5 million), the CMS-03 is designed exclusively for the Indian Navy. It will replace the older GSAT-7 (Rukmini), which has been in service since 2013.

Apart from CMS-03, GSAT-7 and GSAT-7A satellites are India's only dedicated military communication satellites. GSAT-7A, launched by ISRO in December 2018, is designed primarily for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and partially used by the Indian Army (around 30% capacity).

This satellite significantly enhances India's naval communication network for voice, data, and video links between ships, submarines, and aircraft. Various official sources confirm that CMS-03 is a strategic military asset, not a civilian satellite, emphasising maritime security and surveillance as its core mission.​

The LVM3-M5/CMS-03 mission was a technical and operational success, reinforcing ISRO’s position as a leading space agency capable of indigenous heavy-lift launches with strategic communication payloads.​​

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