India’s space prowess reached a new milestone as ISRO’s most powerful rocket, the LVM3—popularly known as ‘Bahubali’—scripted history by successfully launching the heaviest payload ever carried by an Indian launch vehicle. The mission placed BlueBird-6, a next-generation American communication satellite, into its designated orbit with precision.
The launch vehicle lifted off at 8:54 am IST from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, marking the eighth consecutive successful mission of the LVM3. Developed by US-based AST SpaceMobile, BlueBird-6 weighs around 6,100 kg, making it the heaviest satellite payload launched by ISRO to date, according to ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan.
Towering 43.5 metres in height and weighing 640 tonnes, the LVM3 is India’s most formidable rocket. Its flawless track record includes landmark missions such as the historic Chandrayaan-3 lunar landing in 2023.
What sets the BlueBird-6 mission apart is its ambitious goal: enabling direct broadband connectivity from space to ordinary smartphones. Unlike satellite services such as Starlink or OneWeb, AST SpaceMobile’s technology allows standard mobile phones to connect directly to satellites, without the need for specialised terminals or ground infrastructure.
With this historic launch, ISRO has once again demonstrated India’s growing strength in heavy-lift space missions and reinforced its position as a trusted global partner in advanced space technology.
