ISRO to Launch BlueBird Block-2 Communication Satellite on December 24

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Dec 21, 2025: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced the launch of a next-generation communication satellite later this month, marking a significant milestone for India’s space programme.

ISRO is set to deploy the BlueBird Block-2 satellite on December 24 aboard the LVM3-M6 mission. The launch is part of a commercial agreement with US-based AST SpaceMobile and aims to provide high-speed cellular broadband connectivity directly to smartphones across the globe.

The BlueBird Block-2 mission is part of a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation designed to enable direct-to-mobile services. According to ISRO, the constellation will support 4G and 5G voice and video calls, messaging, streaming and data services anytime and anywhere.

News agency PTI reported that the BlueBird Block-2 spacecraft will be the heaviest payload ever launched into Low Earth Orbit by the LVM3 rocket.

The LVM3 launch vehicle has earlier successfully carried out two OneWeb missions involving 72 satellites, besides landmark missions such as Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3.

ISRO’s most recent launch was the LVM3-M5/CMS-03 mission, which successfully placed a communication satellite into orbit on November 2, 2025.