LVM3-M6 was the sixth flight and third commercial flight of ISRO's LVM3 rocket and the launch is marked as the 100th Orbital launch by ISRO since the first launch of SLV-3. Launched on 24 December 2025 from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, the mission successfully deployed the AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird-6 (BlueBird Block-2 FM1) communications satellite into low Earth orbit.[2][3] The launch was delayed by 41 seconds to prevent in-orbit conjuntion with another satellite.[4]

LVM3-M6
LVM3 launch
Launch24 December 2025, 03:55 UTC[1]
OperatorISRO / NSIL
PadSDSC SLP
PayloadBlueBird-6 (BlueBird Block 2 FM1)
LVM3 launches
 LVM3-M5
LVM3-M7 

Mission overview

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  • Mass:
    • Payload weight:6,100 kg (13,400 lb)[1]
  • Overall height:
  • Propellant:
  • Propellant mass:
    • Stage 1: 205,000 kg (452,000 lb)
    • Stage 2: 116,000 kg (256,000 lb)
    • Stage 3: 28,000 kg (62,000 lb)

Payload

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In November 2024, AST SpaceMobile signed launch contracts to launch BlueBird Block 2 Satellites on ISRO's LVM3, SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket.[5]

The payload of the mission was the BlueBird-6 Communications satellite built by AST SpaceMobile.[6]


References

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  1. 1 2 "BlueBird Block 2 FM1". nextspaceflight.com. Archived from the original on 16 November 2025. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  2. "LVM3-M6 / BlueBird Block-2 Mission". ISRO. 19 December 2025. Archived from the original on 30 December 2025. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  3. Wall, Mike (24 December 2025) [23 December 2025]. "Indian rocket launches record-breaking BlueBird 6 smartphone satellite to orbit". Space.com. Archived from the original on 25 December 2025. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  4. "Indian Space Situational Awareness Report (ISSAR) for 2025 Released". www.isro.gov.in. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  5. Robinson-Smith, Will (17 November 2024). "AST SpaceMobile secures multi-launch agreements with Blue Origin, ISRO and SpaceX". Archived from the original on 29 December 2025. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  6. "ISRO's BlueBird-6 launch rescheduled to December 21: Heaviest US satellite to boost global broadband in major Indo-US mission". The Times of India. 15 December 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 31 December 2025. Retrieved 24 December 2025.