Record-setting launch strengthens India’s commercial space capabilities
ISRO heaviest commercial satellite launch, On Wednesday morning, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched its heaviest satellite ever from Sriharikota. The mission successfully placed the BlueBird Block-2 communications satellite into low Earth orbit precisely as planned. The satellite was built by AST SpaceMobile under a commercial launch agreement with ISRO. The LVM3 rocket lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 8:55am IST after a short delay to allow for verification and clearance regarding debris in the planned launch path. Once cleared, the LVM3 launched without incident and deployed the Bluebird Block-2 into its target orbit.
At over 6 tonnes, the BlueBird Block-2 set a national record for heavy payload launches and may be the largest commercial communications satellite ever deployed into LEO by ISRO. This was also the sixth operational flight of an LVM3 heavy-lift vehicle. Shortly after separation, ISRO officials declared the mission a complete success.
BlueBird Block-2 promises direct broadband connectivity to smartphones
BlueBird Block-2 is a satellite that directly connects to cellular broadband using existing standard smartphones and does not require any special equipment for subscribers to access.
The phased-array antenna deployed from the BlueBird Block-2 satellite covers an area of approximately 223 square metres.
Unlike previous satellites, BlueBird Block-2 designed by engineers to provide significantly more bandwidth.
Users will be able to achieve peak data transfers of up to 120 megabits per second.
Users will have access to all services offered by the mobile telephone industry today (voice calls, text messaging, internet browsing and streaming video), ISRO heaviest commercial satellite launch, without interruption to their phone calls or data transfer.
Coverage targeted primarily toward economies with limited or no access to a dependable terrestrial network (telephone and internet) infrastructure.
The mission of AST SpaceMobile represents a leap forward in creating the world’s first space-based cellular broadband network using satellite technology.
The BlueBird Block-2 satellite can support multiple markets, commercial and pursuant to the U.S. Government.
All observers in the industry agree that this mission is likely to change how consumers and businesses communicate around the globe.
Heavy-lift success boosts India’s future human spaceflight ambitions
India’s Gaganyaan programme uses ISRO’s LVM3 as the primary vehicle for future crewed spaceflight missions. Prime Minister Modi highlighted this as a milestone for India and an important strategic step for the country’s future in commercial satellite launches. Concurrently with crewed spaceflight efforts, ISRO has also been planning and working toward future lunar missions. To that end, ISRO is hopeful that India’s first crewed mission will take place by 2027.
The BlueBird rocket was able to demonstrate a high-performance heavy lift capability for challenging missions that will ultimately support India’s continued growth within the global commercial launch segment. The mission also reinforces India’s technological readiness to operate effectively in space and represents a major accomplishment in advancing India into an age when space operations are commonplace.
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