ISRO to launch heaviest-ever commercial satellite on December 24

India’s heavy-lift rocket LVM3 is set to undertake a milestone commercial mission on December 24, when it launches the BlueBird Block-2 communication satellite for US-based AST SpaceMobile. The mission, scheduled for 8.54 am IST, will place the largest commercial communications satellite ever deployed in low Earth orbit and the heaviest payload carried by LVM3 from Indian soil.

The Indian Space Research Organisation said the mission, designated LVM3-M6/BlueBird Block-2, is a dedicated commercial flight using the LVM3 launch vehicle. It will mark the sixth operational mission of the rocket and further strengthen India’s position in the global commercial launch market.

The satellite will be deployed into low Earth orbit and is part of AST SpaceMobile’s next-generation BlueBird Block-2 constellation. These satellites are designed to deliver space-based cellular broadband connectivity directly to standard smartphones, without the need for specialised hardware or device modifications.

LVM3, developed by Indian Space Research Organisation, is a three-stage launch vehicle comprising two solid strap-on motors, a liquid core stage and a cryogenic upper stage. With a lift-off mass of 640 tonnes and a height of 43.5 metres, the rocket can carry up to 4,200 kg to geosynchronous transfer orbit.

The launch vehicle has previously flown high-profile missions, including Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-3 and two OneWeb missions that together carried 72 satellites. Its most recent flight, the LVM3-M5/CMS-03 mission, was successfully completed on November 2 this year.

AST SpaceMobile, the mission’s commercial customer, aims to build a space-based cellular broadband network that can be accessed directly by everyday smartphones. According to the company, its BlueBird satellites will enable services such as video calling, web browsing and 4G and 5G connectivity from virtually anywhere on Earth, supporting both commercial and government users.