This particular advantage, that satellites in the geosynchronous orbit enjoy over those in other orbits, makes it attractive for both civilian and military use.

An example of this is India’s GSAT-7 or INSAT-4F, the first dedicated military communication satellite built by ISRO, launched in 2013 atop an Ariane 5 heavy-lift launch vehicle. Called Rukmini, the satellite has a nearly 2,000 nautical mile footprint over the Indian Ocean Region and provides real-time inputs to Indian Navy ships, submarine and aircraft. If successful, the GSAT Mark-III will make India self-sufficient in performing such missions, helping it develop a network of military communication satellite such as the United States’ Wideband Global SATCOM which provide US military blanket coverage over the entire planet.

On the civilian front, the advantage that the geosynchronous orbit provides has been exploited for monitoring weather, natural disasters and communication. India has launched multiple satellites for these purposes, with assistance from Arianespace in absence of am indigenous vehicle that can place heavy satellites in the GTO.

The GSLV Mark-III is also capable of lifting up to eight tonnes of payload to the Low Earth Orbit (LEO), enough to carry a manned module and establish a space station. The LEO is used for installations that space agencies are required to have frequent physical contact with, like space telescopes and space stations. Nearer the installation is to the surface of the Earth, easier it is to reach with space shuttles.

However, ISRO is unlikely to conduct a human space flight in the near future as the government has not approved the manned space programme. But given the fact that China may be the only country by 2024 to have an active space station, and that it has demonstrated a strong disregard for interests of other countries in outer space, India can’t afford to lag behind in this field for too long.

This launch is also important because the GSLV Mark-III will be India’s first fully functional rocket to be tested with the indigenously developed CE-20 cryogenic rocket engine that uses liquid propellants - liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. Liquid fuels are more desirable as they are less bulky than solid ones and flow better than gaseous fuels. Also, when hydrogen burns in the presence of oxygen, the exhaust velocity (velocity at which exhaust gases leave the nozzle of the rocket's engine) is 4.55 km/s. This is significantly higher than exhaust velocity of other fuels. For example, when unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine, which fuels Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle’s Vikas engine, burns in the presence of nitrogen tetroxide, the exhaust velocity is 3.42 km/s.