Overview
- ISRO’s LVM3‑M6 mission on December 24 placed AST SpaceMobile’s 6,100‑kg BlueBird Block‑2 in low‑Earth orbit, the largest payload yet launched by an Indian rocket.
- The flight was conducted under a NewSpace India Limited agreement with AST SpaceMobile, highlighting India’s growing competitiveness in the global launch market.
- BlueBird belongs to a constellation designed to provide direct‑to‑mobile broadband from orbit, connecting standard smartphones for voice, video and data.
- The mission showcased LVM3’s heavy‑lift performance that underpins preparations for human spaceflight and future station modules, following 2025 milestones like NISAR and the 4,400‑kg CMS‑03 to GTO.
- The year also included setbacks with the NVS‑02 orbit‑raising failure and the EOS‑09 launch anomaly, reinforcing calls to improve reliability for strategic missions.