{"id":64565,"date":"2025-12-23T09:10:57","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T09:10:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/23\/countdown-begins-for-isros-lvm3-m6-launch-carrying-us-communication-satellite\/"},"modified":"2025-12-23T09:10:57","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T09:10:57","slug":"countdown-begins-for-isros-lvm3-m6-launch-carrying-us-communication-satellite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/23\/countdown-begins-for-isros-lvm3-m6-launch-carrying-us-communication-satellite\/","title":{"rendered":"Countdown Begins for ISRO\u2019s LVM3-M6 Launch Carrying US Communication Satellite"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 24-hour countdown<\/strong> for the launch of ISRO\u2019s LVM3-M6 rocket<\/strong>, carrying a next-generation US communication satellite<\/strong>, commenced on Tuesday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.<\/p>\n

In a dedicated commercial mission, ISRO is scheduled to launch the BlueBird Block-2 spacecraft<\/strong> onboard its heavy-lift launch vehicle LVM3-M6<\/strong> at 8:54 am on Wednesday<\/strong> from the second launch pad<\/strong> at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.<\/p>\n

Weighing 6,100 kg<\/strong>, the communication satellite will be the heaviest payload ever placed into Low Earth Orbit (LEO)<\/strong> by an LVM3 vehicle, according to the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency. The previous heaviest payload was the LVM3-M5 Communication Satellite-03<\/strong>, weighing around 4,400 kg<\/strong>, which was successfully launched on November 2<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The mission is being undertaken under a commercial agreement between NewSpace India Limited (NSIL)<\/strong>\u2014ISRO\u2019s commercial arm\u2014and US-based AST SpaceMobile (AST & Science, LLC)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The historic launch will deploy a next-generation communication satellite<\/strong> designed to provide high-speed cellular broadband directly to smartphones worldwide<\/strong>, without the need for specialised ground equipment.<\/p>\n

AST SpaceMobile is building the world\u2019s first space-based cellular broadband network<\/strong>, accessible directly by standard smartphones and intended for both commercial and government applications<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Ahead of the launch, ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan<\/strong> offered prayers at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala<\/strong> on December 23.<\/p>\n

According to ISRO, the 43.5-metre-tall LVM3<\/strong>, also known as GSLV Mk-III<\/strong>, is a three-stage launch vehicle<\/strong> powered by a cryogenic engine developed by ISRO\u2019s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre<\/strong>. The rocket uses two S200 solid strap-on boosters<\/strong>, developed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre<\/strong>, to generate the massive thrust required for liftoff.<\/p>\n

After a flight duration of approximately 15 minutes<\/strong>, the BlueBird Block-2 satellite<\/strong> is expected to separate from the launch vehicle and be placed into Low Earth Orbit at an altitude of around 600 km<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The BlueBird Block-2 mission is part of a global LEO constellation<\/strong> aimed at enabling direct-to-mobile connectivity<\/strong>, supporting 4G and 5G voice and video calls, messaging, streaming and data services worldwide<\/strong>. The satellite features a 223-square-metre phased array<\/strong>, making it the largest commercial communications satellite ever deployed in Low Earth Orbit<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

AST SpaceMobile had earlier launched five satellites\u2014BlueBird 1 to 5\u2014in September 2024<\/strong>, providing continuous internet coverage across the United States and select other countries<\/strong>. The company plans to launch additional satellites to expand its network and has partnered with over 50 mobile operators globally<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 24-hour countdown for the launch of ISRO\u2019s LVM3-M6 rocket, carrying a next-generation US communication satellite, commenced on Tuesday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":64564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64565","post","has-post-thumbnail","category-international","category-national"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64565"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64565\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}