Watch as India’s most powerful rocket launches a massive military communications satellite into orbit today

Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission when you make a purchase through links to our articles.

India will launch a huge and powerful communications satellite for its navy early Sunday morning (November 2) and you can watch the action live.

The CMS-03 spacecraft, also known as GSAT-7R, is expected to lift off on the Mark-3 (LVM3) launcher rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Center at 6:56 am on Sunday. EDT (1056 GMT; 5:26 p.m. local time in India).

You can watch it live here, courtesy of Space.com Indian Space Research Organisationor directly through ISRO. Coverage will begin 30 minutes prior to takeoff.

If all goes according to plan on Sunday, LVM3 will launch the 9,700-pound (4,400-kilogram) CMS-03 into a geostationary transfer orbit about 16 minutes after liftoff. According to ISRO, it will be the heaviest communication satellite ever launched into GTO from Indian soil.

The spacecraft will eventually land geostationary orbitring path located 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) above Earth. At such an altitude, the orbital speed corresponds to the rotation speed of our planet, so spacecraft there are constantly “flying” over one patch of the Earth.

Therefore, geostationary orbit is a popular location for spies satellites and communications ships such as the CMS-03. The new satellite will be the flagship of the Indian Navy, taking over the mantle from GSAT-7, which was launched in 2013.

“With upgraded payloads, the GSAT-7R or CMS-03 is designed to expand secure, multi-band communications as the Navy’s blue water operations grow,” The Times of India wrote. “CMS-03 will provide real-time communications for naval operations, air defense and strategic command control over a wide ocean and land region.

Sunday’s start will be the eighth LVM3, which debuted in 2014. December. The rocket flew for the last time in 2023. in July when it successfully dispatched an Indian robot. Chandrayaan-3 mission to the south polar region of the Moon.

At 143 feet tall (43.5 meters tall), the LVM3 is India’s most powerful missile. It can carry 17,600 pounds (8,000 kg). low earth orbitaccording to her ISRO specification page.

India will launch a huge and powerful communications satellite for its navy early Sunday morning (November 2) and you can watch the action live.

The CMS-03 spacecraft, also known as GSAT-7R, is expected to lift off on the Mark-3 (LVM3) launcher rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Center at 6:56 am on Sunday. EDT (1056 GMT; 5:26 p.m. local time in India).

You can watch it live here, courtesy of Space.com Indian Space Research Organisationor directly through ISRO. Coverage will begin 30 minutes prior to takeoff.

If all goes according to plan on Sunday, LVM3 will launch the 9,700-pound (4,400-kilogram) CMS-03 into a geostationary transfer orbit about 16 minutes after liftoff. According to ISRO, it will be the heaviest communication satellite ever launched into GTO from Indian soil.

The spacecraft will eventually land geostationary orbitring path located 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) above Earth. At such an altitude, the orbital speed corresponds to the rotation speed of our planet, so spacecraft there are constantly “flying” over one patch of the Earth.

Therefore, geostationary orbit is a popular location for spies satellites and communications ships such as the CMS-03. The new satellite will be the flagship of the Indian Navy, taking over the mantle from GSAT-7, which was launched in 2013.

“With upgraded payloads, the GSAT-7R or CMS-03 is designed to expand secure, multi-band communications as the Navy’s blue water operations grow,” The Times of India wrote. “CMS-03 will provide real-time communications for naval operations, air defense and strategic command control over a wide ocean and land region.

Sunday’s start will be the eighth LVM3, which debuted in 2014. December. The rocket flew for the last time in 2023. in July when it successfully dispatched an Indian robot. Chandrayaan-3 mission to the south polar region of the Moon.

At 143 feet tall (43.5 meters tall), the LVM3 is India’s most powerful missile. It can carry 17,600 pounds (8,000 kg). low earth orbitaccording to her ISRO specification page.