New satellite to give Navy sharper eyes, faster links at sea

The Navy’s operations at sea are set for a significant upgrade following the launch of the communication satellite GSAT-7R by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday.

The new satellite will provide enhanced real-time imagery and video feeds for tracking enemy warships, monitoring piracy and enabling high-speed, secure communication between shore-based control units and warships, submarines, helicopters, UAVs and aircraft at sea.

Since 2013, the Navy has relied on its dedicated communication satellite GSAT-7, also known as ‘Rukmini’. Over the past decade, technology has advanced considerably, and the GSAT-7R is designed to bridge that gap.

Named CMS-03 by ISRO, the GSAT-7R is the most advanced communication satellite developed for the Navy so far. It will strengthen space-based communication and maritime domain awareness, while improving real-time data exchange between ships at sea and shore-based stations.

The Navy’s satellites, coupled with sensors, radars, long-range UAVs and maritime surveillance aircraft, provide a direct feed to the Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC), which is being upgraded into a National Maritime Domain Awareness (NMDA) platform. The system aims to integrate data collection and analysis to create a unified operational picture for commanders at the Navy’s maritime operations centres. The project incorporates AI-enabled software to enhance surveillance and decision-making, improving the detection of threats such as illegal fishing, smuggling, piracy and potential terrorist activities.

The GSAT-7R will enable faster, more secure communication and deliver higher-resolution imagery and videos, giving commanders greater situational awareness. Navy officials said the satellite would significantly boost connectivity with high-capacity bandwidth, ensuring seamless and secure communication links between ships, aircraft, submarines and naval operations centres.

Equipped with several indigenously developed, state-of-the-art components, the GSAT-7R will provide telecommunication coverage across a wide swathe of the Indian Ocean Region. It incorporates advanced multi-frequency communication capabilities — including C-band, extended C-band and Ku-band — enabling versatile and high-capacity communication channels.

The indigenously designed and developed satellite was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

Until now, the Navy has been operating the GSAT-7, launched by ISRO on August 30, 2013, from the Kourou Space Centre in French Guiana aboard an Ariane-5E rocket. That mission marked India’s first dedicated military communication satellite, providing secure links for naval operations across the Indian Ocean Region and beyond.