In a big milestone for India, the naval CMS-03 satellite, the heaviest ever launched from Indian soil, was successfully sent into space aboard the new-generation LVM3-M5 'Bahubali' rocket on Sunday.
Hours after the launch, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) shared a video of the successful lift off and the on-board camera views. After a brief countdown, the communication satellite CMS-03, weighing 4,410 kg, was seen launching into space.
The video also captured the separation of the two S200 solid rocket boosters and the L110 liquid core stage, after which the mission was successfully completed.
Notably, the S200 boosters are mounted on either side of the rocket to provide the necessary thrust for lift-off, and the L110 Liquid Stage is powered by two Vikas engines, reported news agency PTI.
{{/usCountry}}Notably, the S200 boosters are mounted on either side of the rocket to provide the necessary thrust for lift-off, and the L110 Liquid Stage is powered by two Vikas engines, reported news agency PTI.
{{/usCountry}}CMS-03 is the heaviest satellite to have been launched into the orbit from the Indian soil. The LVM3 rocket earlier facilitated the successful launch of Chandrayaan-3 mission in 2023. The satellite weighed 3841.4 kg.
Behind CMS-03 satellite launch
The CMS-03 is a multi-band communication satellite which was placed into the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) after lift-off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
According to ISRO, the satellite's launch into the orbit is expected to provide services across a wide oceanic region, including the Indian landmass. The “4410 kg satellite is precisely injected”, said ISRO Chairman V Narayanan in his address from the Mission Control Center post launch.
The satellite was designed to provide communication services for at least 15 years and is "yet another shining example of Atmanirbhar Bharat" (self-reliant India)," Narayanan, also Secretary, Department of Space, added.
LVM3-M5's ‘Bahubali’ tag and previous launches
During the same address, V Narayanan gave the ‘Bahubali’ tag to the LVM3-M5 rocket, which carried the CMS-03 satellite into the GTO orbit on Sunday. The ISRO Chairman gave this tag to the rocket for its heavylifting capabilities.
He also recalled the LVM3 rocket's last launch - the "most prestigious Chandrayaan 3 which brought pride to nation." According to PTI, the LVM 3 rockets have had eight launches so far, all of them successful, showing a 100 per cent success rate.