ISRO is preparing to launch the GSAT-7R satellite by the end of 2025, a dedicated multi-band military communication platform for the Indian Navy designed to replace the aging GSAT-7, also known as Rukmini, which was deployed in 2013 with a launch mass of 2,650 kilograms and payloads operating in UHF, S, C, and Ku bands for secure real-time links among warships, submarines, aircraft, and shore systems across the Indian Ocean region. The GSAT-7R, weighing approximately 2,650 kilograms and positioned in geostationary orbit at 35,786 kilometers, will enhance these capabilities with advanced upgrades, enabling expanded blue-water operations and network-centric warfare while reducing reliance on foreign systems, at an estimated cost of ₹1,589 crore and utilizing the GSLV Mk-II launch vehicle. Complementing this, ISRO’s Technology Demonstration Satellite, or TDS, is under development to validate innovative indigenous technologies, including a 300mN Stationary Plasma Thruster tested for 1,000 hours using Xenon propellant, which offers six times the specific impulse of conventional systems for efficient orbit raising and station keeping in future satellites. These projects highlight India’s push toward self-reliance in space-based defense infrastructure, bolstering naval reach and operational security through homegrown advancements.