ISRO's LVM3 to launch next-generation communication satellite on Dec 24

ISRO’s heavy-lift launch vehicle LVM3 , with a lift-off weight of about 640 tonnes , will undertake a historic commercial mission on December 24, carrying the next-generation BlueBird Block-2 communication satellite of US-based AST SpaceMobile into low Earth orbit.

The LVM3-M6 mission , to be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, will deploy the satellite under a commercial agreement between NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) ISRO’s commercial arm and AST SpaceMobile (AST & Science, LLC).

Designed to provide 24/7 high-speed cellular broadband directly to standard smartphones worldwide , the BlueBird Block-2 satellite will enable 4G and 5G voice and video calls, text messaging, streaming and data services without the need for specialised user equipment.

AST SpaceMobile is building a space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by smartphones and intended for both commercial and government applications . “We are on a mission to eliminate the connectivity gaps faced by nearly six billion mobile subscribers today and bring broadband to the billions who remain unconnected,” the company said on its website.

Founded in 2017 , AST SpaceMobile is listed on Nasdaq under the ticker ASTS and currently commands a market valuation of over USD 20 billion , reflecting investor expectations around direct-to-mobile satellite connectivity. The company’s first experimental satellite, BlueWalker-1 , was launched in 2019 aboard an ISRO PSLV rocket , marking its initial collaboration with India’s space programme. Subsequent missions including BlueWalker-3 (2022) and five BlueBird satellites launched in September 2024 were carried out using SpaceX Falcon-9 rockets .

The BlueBird Block-2 satellite is technologically significant, featuring a 223-square-metre phased-array antenna , making it the largest commercial communications satellite ever deployed in low Earth orbit . It will also be the heaviest payload ever launched into low Earth orbit by the LVM3 rocket , setting a new benchmark for the vehicle.

According to ISRO, the mission forms part of a global low Earth orbit constellation aimed at enabling direct-to-mobile connectivity anytime and anywhere , particularly in remote and underserved regions.

NSIL, incorporated in 2019 , is responsible for commercialising ISRO’s launch vehicles and space assets, including satellite launches, mission services and technology transfers. The AST SpaceMobile mission marks one of NSIL’s most prominent dedicated commercial launches using the LVM3 rocket .

Standing about 43.5 metres tall , the LVM3 is ISRO’s heavy-lift launch vehicle, capable of placing around 8 tonnes into low Earth orbit and about 4 tonnes into geosynchronous transfer orbit .

In earlier missions, the LVM3 has successfully launched Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-3 , and two OneWeb missions carrying a total of 72 satellites . ISRO’s most recent LVM3 launch was the LVM3-M5/CMS-03 mission , which successfully placed a communication satellite into orbit on November 2, 2025 .