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CHENNAI/BENGALURU: Isro Sunday launched the 4,410kg CMS-03 or the Gsat-7R, a communication satellite that will enhance telecommunication coverage across the strategic Indian Ocean Region (IOR) for the Indian Navy. The launch of the heaviest communication satellite from Indian soil onboard LVM3-M5 from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, marked the fifth operational flight of LVM3. The mission also saw a new in-orbit experiment - a successful re-ignition of the cryogenic upper stage. About 16 minutes after lift-off, LVM-3 placed Gsat-7R into a sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (sub-GTO) with a perigee (farthest point from Earth) of only 26,700km. Gsat-7R is designed to replace Gsat-7 (Rukmini), which was launched in 2013 and is primarily dedicated

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