Isro launches heaviest satellite BlueBird 6

Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh): India's Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3)-M6, carrying BlueBird 6, took off from Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota on Wednesday.

BlueBird 6, a next-generation communications satellite from US innovator AST SpaceMobile, was launched with a goal to beam the broadband straight from space to smartphones without any special gear.

The 43.5-meter-tall rocket, which is supported by two S200 solid boosters, lifted off at 8:55 a.m. following a 24-hour countdown from the second launch pad located approximately 135 km east of Chennai.

After approximately 15 minutes of flight, the spacecraft BlueBird Block-2, travelling on the rocket, is expected to separate and attain its designated orbit at an altitude of around 520 km, according to Isro.

This mission is part of a commercial agreement established between NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), the commercial division of Isro, and the US-based company AST SpaceMobile (AST and Science, LLC). Isro adopted a careful strategy and chose to postpone the launch of the Launch Vehicle Mark 3 M6 flight by 90 seconds. It was initially scheduled to lift off at 8:54 a.m., but the time was then adjusted to 8:55 a.m. and 30 seconds.