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19h ago

ISRO’s LVM3 Sets Payload Record With Successful BlueBird Block-2 Launch

The dedicated NSIL mission for US-based AST SpaceMobile advances India’s commercial launch profile.

ISRO's LVM3M6 is set to launch the BlueBird Block-2 spacecraft from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, tomorrow.
At 6,100 kg, this is the heaviest payload to be placed by ISRO’s heavy-lift launch vehicle LVM3.
The launch of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s satellite LVM3-M6 / BlueBird Block-2 on December 24.
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Overview

  • The heavy-lift rocket placed the 6,100 kg communications spacecraft into its intended ~520 km Low Earth Orbit about 16 minutes after liftoff.
  • ISRO confirmed “Mission Success” after separation, marking LVM3’s sixth operational flight and third dedicated commercial launch.
  • BlueBird Block-2 forms part of a direct-to-smartphone LEO constellation and carries a 223 m² phased-array antenna described as the largest commercial array in LEO.
  • Liftoff occurred at about 8:54–8:55 am IST from the second pad at Sriharikota under a commercial agreement between NSIL and AST SpaceMobile.
  • Indian leaders, including the prime minister and science minister, hailed the mission, which also marked back-to-back LVM3 launches within 52 days.