ISRO milestone: Space programme charts course for self-reliance
The Tribune Editorial: The Navy's advanced communication satellite CMS-03, dubbed ‘Bahubali’ for its weight capacity, is indigenously developed.
THE successful launch of the Navy’s advanced communication satellite GSAT-7R (CMS-03) marks another milestone for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in its quest for self-reliance in space technology. It’s the first time ISRO has placed a communication satellite weighing over 4,000 kg into a distant geosynchronous transfer orbit from Indian soil. So far, it had to contract out the launch of its heavier satellites to private space agencies from other countries. The satellite — dubbed ‘Bahubali’ for its weight capacity — is indigenously designed and developed. ISRO used its most powerful rocket, the LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-3), a modified version of which will also be used under the Gaganyaan mission to put humans in space. The rocket’s payload capability was increased by 10 per cent compared to the previous LVM3 launch carrying the Chandrayaan 3.
