ISRO sets December 24 morning launch for LVM3-M6 mission

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) annoucned on Friday that the launch of its LVM3-M6 mission has been scheduled for December 24, 2025, at 08:54 hours IST.

The heavy-lift launch vehicle will lift off from the Second Launch Pad (SLP) at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC SHAR) in Sriharikota.

The LVM3, also known as Gaganyaan’s designated launch vehicle, is ISRO’s most powerful rocket and plays a critical role in missions requiring high payload capacity.


Moreover, ISRO has announced that members of the public will be allowed to witness the launch in person from the Launch View Gallery at SDSC SHAR. Interested visitors can register online through the official portal at:

https://lvg.shar.gov.in/VSCREGISTRATION/index.jsp.

The LVM3, India’s heaviest rocket and the designated launch vehicle for the Gaganyaan programme, is ISRO’s most powerful launcher and is built to carry high-value and high-mass payloads to orbit.

Under a commercial agreement facilitated by New Space India Limited (NSIL), the LVM3 on this mission will place the Bluebird-6 communication satellite of US-based AST SpaceMobile into orbit, marking another milestone in India’s growing footprint in the global launch services market.

Union minister Jitendra Singh had earlier informed Parliament that the mission reflects ISRO’s expanding role as a commercial launch provider, with Indian rockets increasingly being used to deploy international satellites.

Beyond commercial launches, the LVM3 remains central to India’s human spaceflight ambitions. Early next year, the human-rated version of the rocket is slated to carry the first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission, with a humanoid robot named Vyommitra aboard the crew module. The flight is designed to validate the complete sequence of a human space mission — from liftoff and orbital operations to re-entry and recovery.

According to Singh, the mission will demonstrate end-to-end capabilities, including aerodynamic performance of the human-rated launch vehicle, orbital module operations, and the safe recovery of the crew module.

One more uncrewed Gaganyaan mission is planned later next year, ahead of India’s target to send astronauts into low Earth orbit in 2027.