Overview
- The LVM3-M6 lifted off from Sriharikota on December 24 after a 90-second hold to mitigate a potential debris risk.
- The rocket injected the satellite into low Earth orbit near 520 km in what the ISRO chief described as its most accurate insertion.
- At roughly 6,100 kg, BlueBird is the heaviest spacecraft launched from India by an Indian rocket.
- The mission marked the third fully commercial LVM3 flight under an agreement between NSIL and AST SpaceMobile.
- The payload supports a program targeting direct-to-smartphone broadband service, while LVM3 continues to anchor India’s human and deep-space ambitions.