Overview
- Launching at 5:26 pm IST from Sriharikota, LVM3‑M5 precisely injected CMS‑03 into an elliptical transfer orbit of roughly 29,970 km × 170 km after about 16–19 minutes of flight.
- CMS‑03 (GSAT‑7R) weighs about 4,410 kg, carries multi‑band C, extended‑C and Ku payloads, targets around 15 years of service, and extends secure coverage across the Indian landmass and the Indian Ocean Region.
- ISRO confirmed an in‑flight re‑ignition of the C25 cryogenic stage and reported roughly a 10% payload‑capacity improvement on LVM3 during its fifth operational flight.
- The launch marks India’s heaviest communication satellite placed into GTO from its own territory, reducing reliance on past foreign heavy‑lift missions such as Ariane launches from Kourou.
- ISRO reported normal spacecraft health with orbit‑raising and commissioning to follow, and the chairman signaled a busy manifest with seven more missions planned in the next five months.