India's premier space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is poised for a landmark achievement on Sunday at 5:26 pm, when it will ignite its most powerful "Bahubali" rocket—formally designated the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM-3)—from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. This will be the eighth mission for the LVM-3, a homegrown heavy-lift launcher that has maintained an impeccable 100% success rate across all seven prior launches, including the iconic Chandrayaan-3 mission in 2023 that scripted India’s historic lunar south pole landing.

Standing an imposing 43.5 meters tall—comparable in height to a 15-storey skyscraper—and tipping the scales at a staggering 642 tonnes at liftoff (equivalent to the combined weight of approximately 150 fully grown Asian elephants), the LVM-3 will propel the 4,400 kg CMS-03 satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit. This makes CMS-03 not only the heaviest communications satellite ever launched from Indian soil but also a critical upgrade over the aging GSAT-7 (Rukmini), which has reliably served the Indian Navy since its deployment in 2013.

The 16-minute ascent will be powered by ISRO’s indigenously developed cryogenic upper stage engine, a technological marvel that underscores India’s self-reliance in space propulsion. Each LVM-3 mission carries a price tag of roughly Rs 500 crore, yet the strategic payoff is immense: CMS-03 will enable multi-band, encrypted, real-time communication across naval assets—warships, submarines, aircraft, and coastal command centers—within a 2,000 km radius of India’s coastline. Its role in network-centric warfare was vividly demonstrated during Operation Sindoor, where the predecessor Rukmini system effectively neutralized Pakistani naval movements through seamless data integration.

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Once operational, CMS-03 will form an unbreakable digital backbone for maritime defence, ensuring secure coordination during peacetime patrols, disaster response, and high-intensity conflicts alike. By replacing an ageing asset with cutting-edge capability, this satellite significantly enhances India’s blue-water navy ambitions and safeguards vital sea lanes critical to trade and energy security.

Beyond naval supremacy, this launch serves as a dress rehearsal for the human-rated version of the LVM-3, which will power India’s ambitious Gaganyaan mission—sending Indian astronauts into orbit by 2026. With every successful roar of the Bahubali, ISRO not only fortifies national security but also cements India’s stature as a global space power, proving that homegrown innovation can deliver both strategic might and scientific prestige on the world stage.

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