ISRO ready to launch Bluebird Block-2 satellite on December 24

December 22, 2025

New Delhi: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch the Bluebird Block-2 satellite on December 24th, in collaboration with the US-based company AST SpaceMobile. The launch will take place from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh and will be placed into low Earth orbit (LEO) using ISRO’s powerful LVM3 rocket.

LVM3 to launch a heavy satellite

The Bluebird Block-2 satellite, weighing approximately 6.5 tons, will be launched using the LVM3 rocket, which is known for its reliability and high payload capacity. The LVM3 has previously been used to launch several of India’s critical and strategic satellites.

Advanced antenna will increase data capacity

The Bluebird Block-2 satellite’s hallmark is its phased array antenna, spanning approximately 2,400 square feet, providing significantly greater data capacity than previous Bluebird satellites. This will help improve mobile connectivity services.

Step towards global mobile network expansion

This launch follows the success of ISRO’s recent NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission. It is also part of AST SpaceMobile’s expansion of its global satellite network, which aims to directly connect more than 50 mobile operators worldwide with satellite-based mobile connectivity.