ISRO's (Indian Space Research Organisation) heaviest payload-carrying rocket, the LVM3, also known as Bhaubali, is set to be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, located in Andhra Pradesh. The mission is scheduled to be carried out at 5:26 PM on Sunday.
What is LVM3?
LSVM3 is the Indian Space Research Organisation's crown jewel of rockets. LVM3 stands for Launch Vehicle Mark-3. Earlier, it was referred to as the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III or GSLV Mk III. Equipped with three detachable engines and fueling units to get out of the Earth's atmosphere into space.
According to ISRO, India’s LVM3 launch vehicle is scheduled to launch the 'CMS-03' communication satellite in its 5th operational flight, signified by M5.
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'CMS-03', being a multi-band communication satellite, will be responsible for providing services over a wide oceanic region, including the Indian landmass. It will weigh about 4400kg, the heaviest communication satellite that is going to be launched to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), a temporary orbit used to place geostationary satellites into the geostationary orbit. The entire mission is set to take place from Indian soil.
According to a DD India report, the 'CMS-03' is going to replace GSAT-7 of the Indian Navy. This will ensure smooth surveillance over the Indian Ocean and communication between ships, submarines and aircraft operating in the Indian Ocean or stationed on the shore.
Date and time of the mission
The mission is scheduled to take place on Sunday, 2 November 2025 at 5:26 PM (Indian Standard Time) at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) located in Sriharikota of Andhra Pradesh.
Spectators can watch the mammoth space vehicle take off from the Indian soil live from the Launch Viewing Gallery, located at the Space Theme Park, Sriharikota. Visitors can register for free at -https://lvg.shar.gov.in/VSCREGISTRATION/
For the rest of the world, the Spacecraft Launch will be streamed live on the official YouTube channel of ISRO.
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Remarkable missions
In the past, the LVM3 rockets have been a crucial part of India's space exploration journey. This time is going to mark the 5th consecutive mission of the LVM3-M5. The rocket started its journey on 18 December 2014, lifting off from the second launchpad of Satish Dhawan Space Center.
Besides testing the rocket's effectiveness, the maiden flight was aimed towards experimenting with the Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment (CARE) unit, made for carrying astronauts out of Earth's atmosphere into space.
Followed by two developmental flights, the LVM3 was used to carry out the 3850 kg Chandrayaan 2 and 3900 kg Chandrayaan 3 missions, both of which were heavily successful.
It also conducted commercial missions like OneWeb India-1 and OneWeb India-2 missions. During which LVM3 successfully injected 36 satellites each time into the Earth's lower orbit.
