Countdown begins for launch of ISRO’s heaviest communication satellite CMS-03 onboard LVM3-M5
The satellite, weighing around 4,410 kg, will be the heaviest satellite to be launched into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) from Indian territory, the space agency said.
The spacecraft will travel on LVM3-M5 rocket, which is called ‘Bahubali’ due to its heavy lift capacity.
The launch vehicle has been fully assembled and integrated with the spacecraft and moved to the second launch pad here to begin pre-launch operations, the Bengaluru-based space agency said on Saturday.
Later, in a social media post, ISRO said, “The countdown has begun! Final preparations have been completed and the countdown for LVM3-M5 (mission) has officially begun at the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota.”
“All systems are operational as we approach liftoff,” the space agency said in its update. The 43.5 meter high rocket is planned to take off on November 2 at 17:26. ISRO, LVM3- (Launch Vehicle Mark-3) is ISRO’s new heavy lift launch vehicle and is used to deploy 4,000 kg spacecraft into GTO in a cost-effective manner.
This three-stage launch vehicle with two solid engine belts (S200), a liquid propellant core stage (L110) and a cryogenic stage (C25) gives ISRO full confidence to launch heavier communication satellites weighing up to 4,000 kg on GTO.
LVM3- also called Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) MkIII.
According to ISRO, LVM3-M5 is the fifth operational flight. The LVM3 vehicle was developed entirely with indigenous technologies, including the C25 cryogenic stage. It has a track record of all successful launches since the first LVM-3 Crew module Atmospheric Reentry Experiment (CARE) development flight launched in December 2014.
It is pertinent to note that for the ambitious Gaganyaan mission, ISRO is planning Human-rated LVM3 rocket as the launch vehicle, called HRLV.
The space agency had previously launched its heaviest communications satellite, GSAT-11, on an Ariane-5 VA-246 rocket from the Kourou launch base in French Guiana on December 5, 2018. Weighing approximately 5,854 kg, GSAT-11 is the heaviest satellite manufactured by ISRO.
The space agency said Sunday’s mission objective is for CMS-03, a multiband communications satellite, to provide service over a wide oceanic region, including the Indian landmass.
The LVM3- rocket, with its powerful cryogenic stage, has the capacity to carry 4,000 kg GTO and 8,000 kg Low Earth Orbit payloads.
Two S200 solid rocket boosters on the sides of the rocket provide the thrust required for takeoff. The S200 roosters were developed at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center in Thiruvananthapuram.
The third stage is the L110 Liquid Stage and is powered by two Vikas engines designed and developed at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre.
The previous mission of the LVM-3 rocket was the successful launch of the Chandrayaan-3 mission; here India became the first country to successfully land near the Moon’s South pole in 2023.
