ISRO to Launch BlueBird Block-2 Satellite on December 24

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced its readiness to launch the BlueBird Block-2 satellite on December 24 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center. The BlueBird Block-2, also known as BlueBird-6, will be placed in Low Earth Orbit. This communications satellite, developed by AST SpaceMobile in the US, will be carried by India’s powerful rocket LVM3. Weighing 6.5 tonnes, it is among the heaviest commercial satellites and arrived in India on October 19 from the US. ISRO shared on social media platform X that the launch vehicle, LVM3, is prepared to deliver BlueBird Block-2 to Low Earth Orbit. AST SpaceMobile mentioned that the satellite will feature the largest commercial phased array in low Earth orbit, significantly increasing data capacity. This collaboration marks the second joint effort between the US and ISRO. In a previous successful mission, ISRO launched the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar Mission (NISAR). AST SpaceMobile has already launched five satellites and aims to expand its network with over 50 mobile operators globally. The liftoff of BlueBird-6 is managed by ISRO’s commercial arm, New Space India Limited (NSIL). LVM3, a three-stage launch vehicle developed by ISRO, has a lift-off mass of 640 tonnes and a payload capability of 4,200 kg to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). In recent missions, LVM3 has launched various satellites, including Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-3, and two OneWeb missions carrying 72 satellites.