Heaviest Satellite Launched from Indian Soil Using Indian Rocket: ISRO Chairman

BlueBird Block-2 Marks Major Commercial Milestone for ISRO

Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh), December 24:
ISRO Chairman V Narayanan on Wednesday hailed the successful launch of the BlueBird Block-2 communication satellite, calling it the heaviest satellite ever lifted from Indian soil using an Indian launch vehicle.

He said the LVM3 rocket injected the satellite into its intended orbit with high precision. As a result, the mission marked a major technological and commercial achievement for India’s space programme.

First Dedicated Commercial Launch for US Client

Narayanan said the mission marked ISRO’s first dedicated commercial launch for a US-based customer, AST SpaceMobile. Moreover, the launch became the 104th mission from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

He added that the mission also marked the ninth successful flight of the LVM3 launch vehicle, reinforcing its 100 per cent reliability record.

Back-to-Back LVM3 Missions Highlight Capability

The ISRO Chairman highlighted that the mission followed another LVM3 launch within just 52 days. Therefore, it demonstrated ISRO’s ability to conduct back-to-back heavy-lift missions efficiently.

He further noted that this was the third fully commercial mission of the LVM3 rocket. The vehicle, he said, continues to show an excellent performance track record.

Launch Details and Mission Objective

ISRO launched the BlueBird Block-2 satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 8:55 AM IST. The organisation placed the satellite into Low Earth Orbit and declared the mission a success shortly after launch.

The satellite belongs to the next generation of BlueBird Block-2 spacecraft. It aims to deliver high-speed cellular broadband directly to smartphones across the world.

Heaviest Payload Carried by LVM3

BlueBird Block-2 stands as the heaviest payload that LVM3 has carried into Low Earth Orbit. Consequently, the mission sets a new benchmark for India’s heavy-lift launch capabilities.

ISRO said the satellite will support space-based cellular broadband connectivity without requiring specialised hardware or phone modifications.

About the LVM3 Launch Vehicle

LVM3 is ISRO’s heavy-lift rocket. It features two solid strap-on motors (S200), a liquid core stage (L110), and a cryogenic upper stage (C25).

The rocket weighs 640 tonnes at lift-off and stands 43.5 metres tall. Additionally, it can carry payloads of up to 4,200 kg to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.

Strong Legacy of Successful Missions

Earlier, LVM3 successfully launched Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3. It also deployed 72 satellites during two OneWeb missions.

The previous LVM3 mission, LVM3-M5/CMS-03, concluded successfully on November 2 this year.

AST SpaceMobile’s Global Connectivity Vision

According to AST SpaceMobile, the company is building the world’s first space-based cellular broadband network. The system allows direct connectivity to standard smartphones.

Therefore, users can make video calls, browse the internet, and access 4G and 5G services from anywhere on Earth.