Sipu Jha
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday successfully launched CMS-03, the heaviest communication satellite to be launched from India, onboard its LVM3-M5 (GSLV-MkIII) heavy-lift rocket from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The mission marks the fifth operational flight of the LVM3 vehicle. The previous mission using the rocket was Chandrayaan-3 on July 14, 2023. Around 16minutes after liftoff, the rocket with a total lift off mass of 642 tonnes and a height of 43.5 metres, placed the 4410-kg CMS-03 satellite into a Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). The mission’s flight sequence began with the ignition of both S200 boosters at lift-off, followed by their separation at around 131.14 seconds when the vehicle reached an altitude of 62.3 km. The L110 stage ignited at 106.94 seconds and separated at 304.70 seconds, at an altitude of 166.9 km. The C25 cryogenic stage ignited at 307.10 seconds and continued its burn until 950.94 seconds, achieving an inertial velocity of 10.14 km/s. The CMS-03 satellite separated from the launch vehicle at 965.94 seconds at an altitude of 179.8 km, completing its insertion into the targeted orbit.PM Modi congratulated Isro and wrote on social media platform X, “Our space sector continues to make us proud! Congratulations ISRO on the successful launch of India’s heaviest communication satellite, CMS-03. Powered by our space scientists, it is commendable how our space sector has become synonymous with excellence and innovation. Their successes have furthered national progress and empowered countless lives.“The LVM3-M5 vehicle, which has seven consecutive successful missions, consisted of two solid strap-on boosters (S200), a liquid core stage (L110), and a cryogenic upper stage (C25), all housed within a 5-metre diameter Ogive Payload Fairing. Each S200 motor carried 204.5 tonnes of Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB)-based solid propellant, while the L110 core contained 115.9 tonnes of UH25 and N2O4 liquid propellants. The C25 cryogenic stage was loaded with 28.6 tonnes of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.On the occasion, Isro chairman V Narayanan said, “LVM3-M5 successfully injected into the required orbit precisely. This is the 8th consecutive successful launch by LVM3. CMS-03 is the heaviest satellite placed in GTO orbit. The vehicle performance was enhanced to increase its payload capacity by 10%.”“The satellite has a life of 15 years and carries a host of new technologies. We accomplished this mission despite the difficult weather condition. The launch also had the reignition of C20 cryogenic engine for the first time after placing the satellite. This will help in placing satellites in multiple orbits using LVM3”, he further added. CMS-03 is a multi-band communication satellite designed to provide services over a wide oceanic region, including the Indian landmass.Narayanan said there will be seven more launches in this financial year. This includes the LVM3-M6 launching a customer satellite in the second week of December; PSLV-C62 launch and SSLV-L1 launch, placing customer satellites; PSLV technology demonstration of 34 new technologies, and the first uncrewed mission of Gaganyaan. The satellite will be used for civilian and strategic purposes.
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