India Sends Heaviest Commercial Communications Satellite into Orbit

By Staff, Agencies

India has successfully launched its heaviest commercial communications satellite, marking a major milestone for the country’s space program and its expanding role in the global launch market.

The Indian Space Research Organization [ISRO] used its LVM3 ‘Baahubali’ heavy-lift rocket to place the BlueBird Block-2 communications satellite, owned by US-based AST SpaceMobile, into low Earth orbit. The launch took place from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, southern India, at 8:55 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan confirmed that the mission was completed successfully, stating that the LVM3-M6 rocket “precisely injected the BlueBird Block-2 communication satellite into the intended orbit.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the achievement in a post on X, saying the mission strengthens the foundation for future projects such as the Gaganyaan human spaceflight program, expands India’s commercial launch services, and deepens international partnerships. He added that the increased capability and emphasis on self-reliance would benefit future generations.

The launch was conducted under a commercial agreement between NewSpace India Ltd [NSIL], ISRO’s commercial arm and AST SpaceMobile, according to NDTV. The satellite separated from the rocket about 15 minutes after liftoff and successfully reached its designated orbit.

This mission carried the heaviest payload ever launched by an Indian rocket. The BlueBird Block-2 satellite is designed to provide broadband connectivity directly from space to standard smartphones, without the need for specialized equipment.

The launch marked the sixth operational flight of the LVM3 rocket, which has previously been used for major missions including Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-3, and two OneWeb missions that deployed a total of 72 satellites. The previous LVM3 launch took place on November 2 during the LVM3-M5/CMS-03 mission.

ISRO has set ambitious goals for the coming years, aiming to triple its annual spacecraft production within three years and increase India’s share of the global space industry from the current 2% to 8% by 2030.