ISRO's LVM3-M5 rocket with 'heaviest' communication satellite lifts off
Sriharikota (PTI): An ISRO heavylift rocket with communication satellite CMS-03, the 'heaviest' to be carried by an Indian launch vehicle and into the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), lifted off from the spaceport here on Sunday.
After the 24 hour countdown concluded, the 43.5 metre tall rocket soared into the skies at the prefixed time of 5.26 pm from the second launch pad at this spaceport, about 135 km from Chennai, emanating bright orange coloured fumes on its tail.
The satellite riding piggyback on the LVM3-M5 rocket, after a flight journey of about 16-20 minutes, is expected to be separated upon reaching an altitude of about 180 km, ISRO said.
The CMS-03 is a multi-band communication satellite that would provide services over a wide oceanic region including the Indian landmass, ISRO said.
It is the heaviest satellite to be carried by a domestic rocket, launched from the Indian soil and into the GTO.
The Indian space agency has been utilizing the Kourou launch base in French Guiana for launching heavier satellites. In December 2018, ISRO had successfully launched communication satellite GSAT-11, weighing about 5,854 kg and the heaviest spacecraft built by the space agency, from French Guiana.
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Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani to be India's next Chief of Defence Staff
New Delhi (PTI): Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani will be India's new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and his key task is set to be to implement the ambitious theaterisation plan that seeks to ensure tri-services synergy.
He will succeed Gen Anil Chauhan whose tenure will come to an end on May 30.
Gen Chauhan, a former Eastern Army Commander, took charge as the country's senior-most military commander in September 2022, over nine months after the first CDS, General Bipin Rawat, died in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu.
The government has appointed Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani (Retd) as the Chief of Defence Staff, who will also function as the secretary of the Department of Military Affairs, the defence ministry said on Saturday.
Lt Gen Subramani is currently serving as the military adviser to the National Security Council Secretariat.
Prior to that, he was the Vice Chief of the Army Staff from July 1, 2024 to July 31, 2025, and was General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Command from March 2023 till June 2024.
As Chief of Defence Staff, Lt Gen Subramani's primary task will be to implement the theaterisation model to bring in tri-services synergy by rolling out integrated military commands.
The officer is a graduate of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy. He was commissioned into the eighth battalion of the Garhwal Rifles on December 14, 1985.
Lt Gen Subramani is an alumnus of Joint Services Command Staff College, Bracknell (UK), and the National Defence College, New Delhi. He holds a Master of Arts degree from King's College London and an MPhil in defence studies from Madras University.
In his illustrious career spanning over 40 years, Lt Gen Subramani has served across a wide spectrum of conflict and terrain profiles and tenanted a host of Command, Staff and Instructional appointments.
He commanded the 16 Garhwal Rifles in Counter-Insurgency operations in Assam as part of Operation Rhino, the 168 Infantry Brigade in Jammu and Kashmir, and the 17 Mountain Division in the Central Sector, all during a challenging operational environment.
He also has the distinction of commanding two Corps, including the Indian Army's premier strike Corps on the Western Front.
