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2mo ago

ISRO Prepares to Launch US-Built Block-2 BlueBird Satellite

Arriving in September for launch aboard the LVM-3 M5, the 6,500 kg AST SpaceMobile satellite follows ISRO’s precise deployment of NASA-ISRO’s NISAR mission in July.

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ISRO To Launch 6,500 Kg Communication Satellite Built By USA | Image: ISRO
ISRO to launch 6,500 kg US-built communication satellite in coming months
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Overview

  • On July 30, ISRO placed the costliest Earth-observation satellite ever built—NISAR—into orbit with a US-provided L-band SAR and an ISRO-provided S-band SAR payload using its GSLV-F16 launcher.
  • Block-2 BlueBird features a 64.38 sq m communications array and is designed to deliver direct-to-smartphone broadband at up to 12 Mbps without specialized terminals.
  • The 6,500 kg satellite will arrive in India in September and is slated for launch from Sriharikota on ISRO’s heaviest rocket, the LVM-3 M5.
  • Since its 1963 start with a US-donated rocket, ISRO has built indigenous launch vehicles that have placed 433 satellites for 34 countries into orbit.
  • ISRO is concurrently advancing crewed Gaganyaan flights and plans a modular space station by 2035 as part of its goal to match global space-faring capabilities by 2040.