India launched its heaviest communications satellite to date on Sunday, the latest step in the country's ambitious space program.
The CMS-03 satellite took off from Sriharikota, in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, at 5:26 p.m. (11:56 GMT).
“Our space sector continues to make us proud!” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who wants to send an Indian astronaut to the Moon before 2040.
Weighing about 4,410 kilograms (9,722 pounds), it is “the heaviest communications satellite” launched in the country, the Indian Space Research Organization said Thursday.
The Indian Navy said the satellite would help “secure communication links between ships, aircraft and submarines.”
The CMS-03 satellite was launched into orbit from the imposing 43.5-meter (143-foot) tall LVM3-M5 launch vehicle.
This is an improved version of the rocket that launched India's unmanned spacecraft that landed on the Moon in August 2023.
Only Russia, the United States and China have so far achieved a controlled landing on the lunar surface.
The country has relaxed its space ambitions in the last decade, and its space program has grown considerably in size and momentum.
Indian Air Force test pilot Shubhanshu Shukla this year became the second Indian to travel to space and the first to reach the International Space Station, a key step towards India's manned mission planned for 2027.
