India launched its heaviest ever communication satellite on Sunday, the latest step in the country's ambitious space programme. 

The CMS-03 satellite blasted off from Sriharikota in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh at 5:26 pm (1156 GMT).

"Our space sector continues to make us proud!" said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who wants to send an Indian astronaut to the Moon by 2040.

Weighing about 4,410 kilograms (9,722 pounds), it is "the heaviest communication satellite" launched in the country, the Indian Space Research Organisation said Thursday. 

The Indian Navy said the satellite would help "secure communication links between ships, aircraft, submarines".

The CMS-03 satellite was sent into orbit from the towering 43.5 metre (143 foot) tall LVM3-M5 launch vehicle.

It is an upgraded version of the rocket that launched India's unmanned craft that landed on the Moon in August 2023.

Only Russia, the United States and China have previously achieved a controlled landing on the lunar surface.

The country has flexed its spacefaring ambitions in the last decade, with its space programme growing considerably in size and momentum.

Shubhanshu Shukla, a test pilot with the Indian Air Force, 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 own crewed mission planned for 2027.