GSAT-7R (also known as CMS-03) is a multi-band communication satellite developed by ISRO for the Indian Navy. The satellite is meant to replace the existing and operational GSAT-7.
Satellite
The satellite, weighing 4,410 kilograms (9,720lb),[2][1] is meant to transmit voice, video and data among the naval ships, submarines, aircraft and Maritime Operation Centres[1] of the Indian Navy deployed across the Indian Ocean Region, covering up to 2,000 km from India's coastline.[3]
The satellite employs advanced payloads in multiple frequency bands, including UHF, S, C and Ku bands.[3] It is also equipped with indigenous components like a 1,200 litre propulsion tank and collapsible antenna systems. It also has a planned lifespan of 15 years.[1]
The contract for the ₹1,589 crore (US$225.65 million) satellite project was signed in 11 June 2019 between the Indian Navy and the ISRO.[4][5]
History
During the time of contract signing in 2019, the projected launch date of the satellite was expected between 2020[4] and 2022.[5]By August 2025, the delivery timeline had slipped by few years to November 2025.[6][7] By 23 October, the launch date was scheduled on 2 November.[8] The vehicle performance of LMV3-M5 had been enhanced by 10% to accommodate the CMS-03 satellite which is heavier than its payload capacity of 4 tonnes for GTO orbits.[1]
The satellite assembly and integration with launch vehicle has been completed by early October 2025. The launch vehicle was moved to the launchpad on 26 October and pre-launch procedures were initiated thereafter. It is the heaviest satellite to be launched to the Geostationary Transfer Orbit orbit from India till date.[9][10] A pre flight inspection fixed problems in the fuel control systems that plagued the NVS-02 satellite which used a similar spacecraft bus.[11][12]
On 2 November 2025, at 5:26 pm IST,[2] ISRO successfully placed the CMS-03 satellite into the desired orbit through the LVM3-M5 rocket from the Second Launch Pad[1] of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.[13][14] The mission featured an experiment, re-ignition of the cryogenic upper stage. The satellite was separated from the launch vehicle at around 16 minutes in sub-GTO orbit. from launch with a perigee of 26,700 km.[1]
Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).
