MoD contracts indigenous GSAT-7C satellite for IAF, Varunastra torpedoes for Navy
The Ministry of Defence signed contracts worth about Rs 4,106 crore on 15 October 2026 for GSAT-7C, a dedicated communication satellite for the Indian Air Force, and Varunastra heavyweight torpedoes for the Indian Navy. NewSpace India Limited, Bengaluru, holds the Rs 2,563-crore satellite contract and Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad, the Rs 1,543-crore torpedo contract.
Syllabus: Prelims · Current Affairs & IR; GS3 · Indian Achievements in S&T; GS3 · IT, Space, Biotech & IPR
Why this matters for UPSC
GS3 security and space technology: Prelims can ask which GSAT-7 satellite serves which service, what NewSpace India Limited is, and who developed and builds Varunastra; GS3 Mains, about defence indigenisation and military space assets.
Why it matters
A pilot over the mountains or a radar crew far from base loses a ground radio link once a ridge or the horizon blocks the signal. A satellite parked high above the equator can relay that link, so aircraft, airbases and ground stations stay in touch wherever they are. Owning the satellite keeps those links under Indian control in a crisis, when hired capacity may be cut. The torpedo answers a different problem: submarines are quiet and hard to catch, and a warship needs a long-range weapon that can chase one. Both orders go to Indian public-sector firms, so the money also sustains factories, engineers and suppliers at home instead of paying for imports.
Prelims pointers
- GSAT-7 was launched on an Ariane-5 from Kourou, French Guiana, on 30 August 2013, with UHF, S, C and Ku-band transponders, to 74° East.
- GSAT-7A was launched by GSLV-F11 from Sriharikota on 19 December 2018 and serves users in the Ku-band over the Indian region (ISRO).
- GSAT 7B, for high-throughput services to the Indian Army, was contracted from NSIL on 29 March 2023 (Ministry of Defence).
- GSAT-7R (CMS-03), the Navy's satellite, flew on LVM3-M5 on 2 November 2025; at about 4,400 kg, ISRO calls it the heaviest communication satellite sent to GTO from Indian soil.
- Varunastra: 533.4 mm diameter, operating depth up to 600 m, acoustic homing; it can be fired from all ASW ships able to fire heavyweight torpedoes.
- Torpedo Advanced Light (TAL), also from NSTL, is 324 mm across and is launched from ships, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
- NSTL, NPOL and NMRL are the three DRDO laboratories that carry 'Naval' in their names.
Practise a UPSC-style question
With reference to the GSAT-7 series of communication satellites, consider the following statements:
1. GSAT-7A was launched by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from Sriharikota.
2. GSAT-7 was launched on an Ariane-5 rocket from Kourou in French Guiana.
3. GSAT-7R, also called CMS-03, was launched for the Indian Navy on an LVM3 rocket.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show the answer
Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only
Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only. GSAT-7A flew on a GSLV, not a PSLV; the other two launches are stated correctly.
Statement 1: incorrect. ISRO's GSLV-F11 launched GSAT-7A from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, on 19 December 2018, per ISRO and PIB.
Statement 2: correct. An Ariane-5 (flight VA-215) launched GSAT-7 from Kourou, French Guiana, on 30 August 2013, per ISRO.
Statement 3: correct. LVM3-M5 launched CMS-03 on 2 November 2025; the Ministry of Defence calls it the Indian Navy's GSAT-7R.
Eliminate: Statement 1 is wrong, because GSAT-7A rode a GSLV. Out: (a), (c), (d).
Trap: Look-alike names. PSLV and GSLV are both ISRO launchers flying from Sriharikota; the question swaps the vehicle that carried GSAT-7A.
Remember: GSAT-7 on Ariane-5, GSAT-7A on GSLV-F11, GSAT-7R (CMS-03) on LVM3.
Explainers on this topic
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