 "Why Isro’s heaviest-ever satellite launch is significant")
India’s space agency has successfully carried out a historic mission to place its heaviest-ever satellite into orbit. On Wednesday (December 24), the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) launched the LVM-3 rocket carrying the BlueBird Block-2 communication satellite.
Weighing 6,100 kg, this was the “heaviest satellite ever lifted from Indian soil using an Indian launcher, " according to Isro Chairman V Narayanan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also hailed the successful launch, calling it “a significant stride in India’s space sector.”
He said this “strengthens India’s heavy-lift launch capability and reinforces our growing role in the global commercial launch market.”
Powered by India’s youth, our space programme is getting more advanced and impactful.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 24, 2025
With LVM3 demonstrating reliable heavy-lift performance, we are strengthening the foundations for future missions such as Gaganyaan, expanding commercial launch services and deepening global… pic.twitter.com/f53SiUXyZr
Let’s take a closer look.
Isro’s LVM3-M6 mission
Isro’s ‘Baahubali’ rocket, the Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM-3), lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Station in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota at 8:55 am on Christmas Eve to place the BlueBird Block-2 communication satellite of the US-based AST SpaceMobile into orbit.
This was the largest-ever commercial communications satellite deployed in low Earth orbit (LEO) by Isro’s LVM-3 rocket.
Lauding the successful launch, Isro Chairman V Narayanan said, “[The] Launch vehicle has successfully and precisely injected the BlueBird Block 2 communication satellite in the intended orbit. This is the first dedicated commercial launch for a customer from the USA, that is AST SpaceMobile… This is our 104th launch from Sriharikota, also the ninth successful mission of the LVM-3 launch vehicle, demonstrating its 100 per cent reliability.”
After about 15 minutes of takeoff, the spacecraft Bluebird Block-2 separated from LVM3-M6 and was injected into an orbit of around 520 km.
A significant stride in India’s space sector…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 24, 2025
The successful LVM3-M6 launch, placing the heaviest satellite ever launched from Indian soil, the spacecraft of USA, BlueBird Block-2, into its intended orbit, marks a proud milestone in India’s space journey.
It strengthens… pic.twitter.com/AH6aJAyOhi
Quick Reads
View AllAs per the space agency, the Bluebird Block-2 communication satellite was the heaviest payload carried by the 43.5 metre tall LVM3 rocket to be placed into the Low Earth Orbit (LEO). It is an orbit that is closer to Earth’s surface, usually at an altitude of less than 1,000 km.
Before this, Isro successfully launched LVM3-M5 Communication Satellite 03, weighing about 4,400 kg, in the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) on November 2.
What’s the BlueBird Block-2 satellite?
The BlueBird Block-2 is a next-generation communication satellite that aims to provide high-speed cellular broadband directly to smartphones.
Designed by the American company AST SpaceMobile, it is part of a global LEO constellation to provide direct-to-mobile connectivity through satellite.
Unlike conventional communication satellites that beam their signals through specialised ground stations, this constellation is equipped to directly communicate with the phones.
The satellite will enable 4G and 5G voice and video calls, texts, streaming, and data for “everyone, everywhere, at all times,” as per Isro.
AST SpaceMobile is also working on what it says will be the first space-based cellular broadband network that will be directly accessible via standard smartphones, without the need for special devices. “We are on a mission to eliminate the connectivity gaps faced by today’s nearly six billion mobile subscribers and bring broadband to the billions who remain unconnected,” the US company wrote on its website.
Why the BlueBird Block-2 mission matters to Isro
The BlueBird Block-2 mission was the third time involving Isro’s launch vehicle LVM-3 to inject a satellite into LEO. The LVM3-M6 is the sixth operational flight of the space agency’s Baahubali rocket, which brings India’s expanding role in commercial space launches into the spotlight.
“This is a back-to-back mission of the LVM-3 in just 52 days… This is the heaviest satellite ever lifted from Indian soil using an Indian launcher. This is also the third fully commercial mission of LVM-3 and the vehicle has demonstrated its excellent track record,” the Isro chairman said.
LVM-3 is a three-stage launch vehicle comprising two solid strap-on motors (S200), a liquid core stage (L110), and a cryogenic upper stage (C25). Isro has used the rocket
for major missions like Chandrayaan-2 and
Chandrayaan-3.
A modified version of the LVM-3 rocket will be deployed in the Gaganyaan mission, India’s first human spaceflight programme.
Previously, the LVM-3 was used for the launches of 36 satellites of OneWeb, a broadband satellite internet service provider, in 2022 and 2023.
The LVM-3 is one of the heavy launch vehicles on the market, along with SpaceX’s Falcon-9 and the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Ariane 6.
The BlueBird Block-2 launch shows Isro’s ability to carry out such heavy launches at a lower cost, as per Indian Express.
After 2023, this was the second time two LVM-3 missions were launched in a single year.
Before the BlueBird Block-3 mission, Isro’s heaviest payload was the sets of OneWeb satellites, with a total weight of more than 5,700 kg, injected into LEO.
The space agency is making efforts to introduce redundancies to the LVM-3 launch vehicle to ensure it is safe for humans for the Gaganyaan mission. It is also increasing its lift-off capacity to carry the modules for the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, India’s own home-built space station.
With inputs from agencies
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