BENGALURU: India’s space agency will launch its heaviest ever communication satellite on its largest launch vehicle on Sunday, its latest step in an ambitious space and technology drive.
The CMS-03 communication satellite, weighing about 4,410 kilogrammes (9,722 pounds) is “the heaviest communication satellite” launched in the country, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said Thursday.
The launch will take place in Sriharikota in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh at 5:26 pm (1156 GMT) on Sunday, ISRO said.
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Sent into orbit from the towering 43.5 metre (143 foot) tall LVM3-M5 launch vehicle, the satellite will provide services over a “wide oceanic region including the Indian landmass”, ISRO said.
It is an upgraded version of the rocket that launched an unmanned craft that landed on the Moon in August 2023.
Only Russia, the United States and China have previously achieved a controlled landing on the lunar surface.
India’s space programme has grown considerably in size and momentum since it first sent a probe to orbit the moon in 2008.
The world’s most populous country has flexed its spacefaring ambitions in the last decade, with its space programme growing considerably in size and momentum.
It has said it plans to launch an uncrewed orbital mission before its first human spaceflight in early 2027.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced plans to send an astronaut to the Moon by 2040.
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