Overview
- ISRO set November 2 for LVM-3 to deploy CMS-03 (GSAT-7R), a communications satellite built for the Indian Navy with a seven-year mission life in geostationary orbit.
- A follow-up LVM-3 flight carrying the US-built BlueBird-6 is planned for early December, with the 6.5-tonne satellite already delivered to India on October 19.
- The joint NASA–ISRO NISAR mission is in final calibration and is expected to enter operations within the next two to three weeks, with both payloads reported healthy.
- About 90% of Gaganyaan technologies are complete, and ISRO plans three uncrewed test flights before a potential first crewed mission around 2027.
- The government approved a third Sriharikota launch pad with a budget a little over Rs 4,000 crore as ISRO advances a semi-cryogenic engine, the Bharat Space Station’s first module targeted for 2028, NavIC completion in 18 months, and a projected tripling of India’s satellite fleet in three to four years.