NEW DELHI: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has begun the countdown for LVM3 launch around 8:55 am today ahead of its scheduled liftoff on Wednesday morning. The LVM3-M6 rocket carries Nasdaq-listed AST SpaceMobile Inc’s 6.5-ton BlueBird Block-2 satellite and this launch will mark the 6th operational flight of ISRO’s LVM3 heavy-lift rocket.
LVM3, or the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 is ISRO’s most powerful launch vehicle which can carry heavy satellites into space. Standing 43.5 metres tall, the rocket will reach the orbit in three stages – two solid boosters that provide the initial thrust followed by liquid and cryogenic stages to guide the BlueBird Block-2 satellite into Low Earth orbit (LEO) – the region of space where satellites orbit closest to the Earth’s crust.
The satellite is expected to be placed in the orbit 16 minutes after the lift-off after which it will separate from the launch vehicle. BlueBird-6 satellite belongs to a new generation of satellites designed to provide space-based cellular broadband and connect directly with standard smartphones without any need of specialized hardware. It is both the largest commercial communications satellite ever to be placed in LEO and the heaviest payload to be launched by LVM3 from India.
The mission is scheduled to be launched at 8:54 am on December 24 in Andhra Pradesh from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. It will also be live on ISRO’s official YouTube channel for people all across the globe to witness this historic moment.
The BlueBird-6 satellite will mark the debut of AST SpaceMobile’s next-generation satellite fleet. According to the company, once deployed, it will be the largest commercial phased-array antenna, covering nearly 2,400 sq ft and offering ten times the data capacity of earlier BlueBird satellites.
AST SpaceMobile Inc. is a US based, publicly traded company that designs and manufactures satellites, with its headquarters in Midland, Texas. With the deployment of the satellite, AST will be the first and only company that built space-based cellular broadband system capable of direct smartphone connectivity. The launch contract for BlueBird 6 was secured through NewSpace India Ltd, the commercial arm of India’s Department of Space.
Agencies