India launches its 'heaviest communication satellite' yet

India on Sunday launched what it called its heaviest communications satellite yet, according to the country's space agency.

The Indian Navy's GSAT-7R (CMS-03) communications satellite lifted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in southern India on Sunday evening.

"CMS-03 separated successfully. Perfect injection," the Indian Space Research Organization wrote on the US social media company X after the launch.

The Defense Ministry said the CMS-03 "would be the most advanced communication satellite thus far for the Indian Navy," adding that the satellite would strengthen the navy's "space-based communications and maritime domain awareness capabilities."

The satellite, "India's heaviest" so far, "includes many indigenous state-of-the-art components developed specifically to meet the Indian Navy's operational requirements," the ministry said, adding that it "will provide robust telecommunication coverage across the Indian Ocean Region."