Sriharikota: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday successfully placed the US’ AST SpaceMobile BlueBird Block-2 communication satellite into orbit, marking another major commercial milestone for India’s heavy-lift launch capability. The satellite lifted off at 8:55am from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
Weighing around 6.5 tonnes, BlueBird Block-2 is the heaviest commercial satellite deployed to Low Earth Orbit by India’s LVM3 rocket to date. The mission also marked the sixth operational flight of the LVM3 launch vehicle, which has previously supported high-profile missions including Chandrayaan-3 and the deployment of OneWeb satellite constellations.
Designed to enable space-based cellular broadband connectivity, BlueBird Block-2 aims to deliver direct-to-device services to unmodified smartphones, with a focus on improving coverage in remote and underserved regions.
The launch comes shortly after the LVM3-M5 mission in November, during which ISRO successfully orbited India’s heaviest communication satellite developed for the Indian Navy.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the achievement, stating that the mission bolsters India’s heavy-lift launch capabilities and underscores the country’s expanding presence in the global commercial launch market.
In a post on X, he said: “This is also reflective of our efforts towards an Aatmanirbhar Bharat. Congratulations to our hardworking space scientists and engineers.”
