♦ The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the LVM3-M6 rocket, placing the United States’ BlueBird Block-2 communication satellite into its intended Low Earth Orbit on 24 december 2025.

♦ The LVM3-M6/BlueBird Block-2 mission is a dedicated commercial launch carried out using ISRO’s heavy-lift launch vehicle LVM3. The mission marked the sixth operational flight of the LVM3 rocket and involved the deployment of the BlueBird Block-2 satellite developed by US-based AST SpaceMobile.

♦ Designed to provide space-based cellular broadband connectivity directly to standard mobile smartphones, the BlueBird Block-2 spacecraft is part of AST SpaceMobile’s next-generation satellite constellation. It is the largest commercial communications satellite to be deployed in Low Earth Orbit and also the heaviest payload launched by the LVM3 vehicle from Indian soil.

♦ The LVM3 launch vehicle, developed by ISRO, is a three-stage rocket comprising two solid strap-on motors (S200), a liquid core stage (L110) and a cryogenic upper stage (C25). With a lift-off mass of 640 tonnes and a height of 43.5 metres, the vehicle is capable of carrying up to 4,200 kg to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.

♦ In earlier missions, the LVM3 has successfully launched flagship national programmes such as Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3, along with two OneWeb missions that placed 72 satellites into orbit. The previous LVM3 mission, LVM3-M5/CMS-03, was successfully completed on November 2, 2025.