Nov 2 – ISRO’s heaviest communication satellite, CMS-03, has been successfully placed into its intended orbit after a flawless launch of the agency’s heavy-lift rocket, LVM-3, from Sriharikota.Announcing the success from the Mission Control Centre, ISRO chairman Dr V. Narayanan described the LVM-3 as “Bahubali”, underscoring its ability to carry large payloads to space. He said the mission had “brought another glory to India”, noting that all eight LVM-3 launches to date have achieved 100 per cent success.LVM-3, earlier known as the Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III), is powered by a combination of solid, liquid and cryogenic stages and can lift up to 8,000 kg to low-earth orbit (up to 2,000 km) and about 4,000 kg to geosynchronous orbit (about 36,000 km). It is ISRO’s most powerful operational launcher and has previously flown flagship missions including Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-3 and key communication satellites such as GSAT-19 and GSAT-29.Dr Narayanan said the rocket was upgraded for this flight to increase its payload capacity by around 10 per cent compared to the LVM-3 M4 that carried Chandrayaan-3, crediting ISRO’s internal review mechanisms, project teams and industrial partners for the consistent performance.CMS-03 will boost India’s high-capacity communication services and is part of ISRO’s effort to strengthen space-based connectivity for strategic, commercial and government users.