India Space Agency deploys its heaviest satellite.

India – satellite – (Special Correspondent / Web Desk) –  On Sunday, India launched its heaviest communication satellite to yet, marking the next step in the country’s ambitious space plan.

At 5:26 p.m. local time (1156 GMT), the CMS-03 satellite launched from Sriharikota in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

“Our space sector continues to make us proud!” declared Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who hopes to send an Indian astronaut to the Moon by 2040.

The Indian Space Research Organisation stated on Thursday that it is “the heaviest communication satellite” launched in the country, weighing approximately 4,410 kilogrammes.

According to the Indian Navy, the satellite will improve “secure communication links between ships, aircraft, and submarines”.

The CMS-03 satellite was sent into orbit from the towering 43.5 metre tall LVM3-M5 launch vehicle.

It is an upgraded version of the rocket that launched India’s unmanned craft that landed on the Moon in August 2023.

onus is on Kabul to act against terrorists who use Afghan land to target Pakistan.

Only Russia, the United States and China have previously achieved a controlled landing on the lunar surface.

The country has flexed its spacefaring ambitions in the last decade, with its space programme growing considerably in size and momentum.

Shubhanshu Shukla, a test pilot with the Indian Air Force, this year became the second Indian to travel to space and the first to reach the International Space Station — a key step towards India’s own crewed mission planned for 2027.