ISRO to launch 6.5-tonne BlueBird-6, its biggest US commercial payload

ISRO is set to launch the 6.5-tonne BlueBird-6 commercial communication satellite on December 15, built by AST SpaceMobile, a TOI report stated. It will be the heaviest American satellite the agency has launched and will be carried on its ‘Bahubali’ LVM3 rocket.

AST SpaceMobile, a Texas-based company building a space-based cellular broadband network, said, “BlueBird-6, a US-licensed satellite, is scheduled to launch on Dec 15. It is the first of AST SpaceMobile’s next-generation satellites. The satellite will span 2400 sqft making it the largest commercial phased array in low earth orbit. This represents a 3.5 times increase in size over BlueBirds 1-5 and supports ten times the data capacity.”

BlueBird-6 is a Block-2 satellite and part of a larger plan to deploy a series of satellites through 2026 to provide non-continuous direct-to-device mobile broadband services in regions with limited or no terrestrial connectivity. Each BlueBird satellite is designed to deliver up to 10,000 MHz of bandwidth and works by partnering with mobile network carriers using licensed spectrum.

Launch preparations and mission details

The satellite arrived in India on October 19 and was transported by road to Sriharikota for integration with the LVM3 launcher, followed by fuelling and final checks.

The launch is being managed by New Space India Limited (NSIL), Isro’s commercial arm. The LVM3, which recently placed the 4.4-tonne CMS-3 satellite in orbit on November 2, can lift up to 8,000 kg to low-earth orbit and 4,000 kg to geosynchronous transfer orbit.

A human-rated version of the LVM3 is planned to carry three Indian astronauts to space under the Gaganyaan mission in 2027.

(With inputs from TOI)