ISRO Launches Heaviest Communication Satellite BlueBird Block-2 via LVM3-M6.
ISRO successfully launched its heavy-lift LVM3-M6 rocket on Wednesday morning from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota, carrying the BlueBird Block-2 satellite. The lift-off, originally scheduled for 8:54 am IST, was delayed by 90 seconds as a precaution against potential space debris along the rocket’s trajectory, and took place at 8:55:30 am IST.
The mission marks the sixth operational flight of ISRO’s LVM3 launch vehicle and is a dedicated commercial mission under an agreement between NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) and US-based AST SpaceMobile.
Standing 43.5 metres tall with a lift-off mass of 640 tonnes, the LVM3 features two S200 solid strap-on boosters, a liquid core stage (L110), and a cryogenic upper stage (C25). It can carry payloads up to 4,200 kg to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. Previous LVM3 missions include Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-3, and two OneWeb missions, while the last flight, LVM3-M5/CMS-03, took place on November 2, 2025.
BlueBird Block-2 is part of a next-generation Low Earth Orbit satellite constellation aimed at providing space-based cellular broadband directly to standard smartphones. The satellite, equipped with a large phased array, will support 4G and 5G voice, video, data, and messaging services globally.
Following lift-off, the satellite is expected to separate from the launch vehicle roughly 15 minutes into the flight to begin operations in Low Earth Orbit. Ahead of the launch, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan visited the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala on December 23.
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