Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
According to ISRO, the LVM3-M6 vehicle is scheduled to lift off at 08:55:30 IST from the Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC), Sriharikota.
The mission represents the sixth operational flight of ISRO’s heavy-lift LVM3 rocket and is being operated as a dedicated commercial launch.
The space agency said in an update from Sriharikota that the 24-hour countdown for the mission began on Tuesday, December 23.
Heaviest payload deployed into LEO by LVM3
Weighing about 6,100 kg, Bluebird Block-2 will become the heaviest payload placed in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) by an LVM3 launch vehicle, surpassing the previous record of about 4,400 kg set during the LVM3-M5/CMS-03 mission in November, according to news agency PTI.
ISRO said the satellite will be injected into LEO about 15 minutes after liftoff. The mission is being run under a commercial agreement between NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO, and AST Spacemobile.
What is Bluebird Block-2 satellite?
According to ISRO, Bluebird Block-2 is part of the next generation constellation, which aims to enable space-based cellular broadband connectivity directly to standard smartphones.
The satellite has a 223-square-metre phased-array antenna, making it the largest commercial communications satellite deployed in low Earth orbit, at an altitude of approximately 600 km.
According to PTI, the group aims to support 4G and 5G services, including voice, video, messaging and data, especially in remote and underserved areas.
AST Spacemobile previously launched five Bluebird satellites in September 2024 to provide coverage over parts of the United States and select other areas.
About LVM3 Launch Vehicle
According to ISRO, the 43.5 meter long LVM3, also known as Gaganyaan’s human-rated launcher, is a three-stage vehicle consisting of two S200 solid strap-on boosters, a liquid core stage and a cryogenic upper stage.
The rocket has previously launched missions such as Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-3 and several OneWeb satellite batches.
According to PTI, ahead of the launch, ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan performed puja at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirumala on December 23.