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OPINION NOVEMBER 14, 2025 | The Indian Eye 10

Indian Navy Gets a Brand-New

Communications Satellite to Boost

its Operational Capabilities

CMS-03 will strengthen the Indian Navy’s operational reach across critical maritime domains.
This newly launched satellite offers higher-capacity bandwidth with increased digital access to remote territories.
The satellite operates on multiple frequency bands, which include UHF, S, C, and Ku

GRP CAPTAIN (DR) AJEY LELE (RETD.) CMS-03, weighing about 4,400 kgs, is the heaviest satellite launched by ISRO from Indian soil using an Indian launcher (ISRO)

ndia’s Launch Vehicle Mark-3 European Space Agency (ESA). negotiations between India and the dedicated satellite could enhance the
(LVM3) successfully launched a CMS-03 or GSAT-7R has a lifes- United States (US) during 2005– Indian Navy’s operational capabili-
Icommunication satellite, CMS- pan of 15 years and is a replacement 2008, commonly referred to as the ties manifold.
03, on 2 November 2025. According for the multi-band communication Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal, India
to the Indian Space Research Or- satellite GSAT-7/INSAT-4F, named emerged from the shadows of the so- During April 2009, ISRO
ganization (ISRO), this multi-band Rukmini, launched on 29 August called ‘technological apartheid’. This
communication satellite is intended 2013. The Indian Navy operates changing global status possibly made launched the Radar Imaging
to provide services across a broad Rukmini. This 2,650 kg satellite was India publicly acknowledge and ex- Satellite-2 (RISAT-2) to cater
oceanic region, including the Indian designed for a mission life of sev- pand its military space policy.
landmass. CMS-03 is a strategic satel- en years. Rukmini was India’s first The biggest security challenge for immediate imagery require-
lite designed to boost the Indian Na- officially dedicated military satel- faced by India in the first decade of ments. It was procured from Is-
vy’s operational capabilities. lite, launched explicitly for strategic the 21st century was the 26/11 Mum-
CMS-03, weighing about 4,400 purposes. Yet it appears to have re- bai terror attacks in 2008. This act of rael Aerospace Industries (IAI).
kgs, is the heaviest satellite launched mained operational even after more terrorism was executed via sea routes. Subsequently, after a few years
by ISRO from Indian soil using an In- than 12 years in service. For a long It exposed critical gaps in coastal se-
dian launcher. Until now, the heavi- time, India leveraged the dual-use curity and surveillance. That was the in 2013, the GSAT-7/ Rukmini
est satellite launched by ISRO was nature of space technology, using period when piracy and trafficking satellite was launched for com-
the GSAT-11, a geostationary com- some civilian satellites for limited also emerged as a significant threat
munications satellite weighing 5,854 military applications. in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), munication purposes.
kgs. It was launched on 4 December India has faced international apart from maritime terrorism. The
2018 from the Guiana Space Centre sanctions for several decades due to 2005 Asian tsunami highlighted the For over a decade, the Rukmini
using Ariane 5, the now-retired Eu- its nuclear policies, particularly the need for reliable and secure commu- satellite has played an essential role
ropean heavy-lift space launch vehi- nuclear tests conducted in 1974 and nications requirements. for the Indian Navy. This system
cle operated by Arianespace for the 1998. However, following effective There was a realization that a Continued on next page... >>

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