News: In a significant commercial milestone, ISRO’s LVM3-M6 rocket is set to launch a communication satellite for the US-based firm AST SpaceMobile.
About LVM3-M6 / BlueBird Block-2 Mission
- LVM3-M6 / BlueBird Block-2 is a dedicated commercial mission of ISRO’s LVM3 launch vehicle.
- The mission will launch the BlueBird Block-2 communication satellite of AST SpaceMobile, USA.
- It is the 6th operational flight of the LVM3 rocket.
- Launched by: ISRO
- In this mission, LVM3-M6 will place the BlueBird Block-2 satellite into Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
- LVM3 is a three-stage launch vehicle. It consists of two solid strap-on motors (S200), a liquid core stage (L110), and a cryogenic upper stage (C25). The rocket has a lift-off mass of 640 tonnes, a height of 43.5 m, and can carry 4,200 kg to GTO.
- It will be the largest commercial communications satellite deployed in LEO.
- It will also be the heaviest payload launched by LVM3 from Indian soil.
- The BlueBird Block-2 satellite is designed to provide direct space-based cellular broadband connectivity to standard mobile smartphones.
- Earlier missions of LVM3 include Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-3, and two OneWeb missions carrying 72 satellites.
