ISRO To Launch US’ BlueBird-6 Satellite, Weighing 6.5 Tonnes By Year-End: Dr. V. Narayanan | India News

ISRO Chairman Dr. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is preparing for another collaboration with the US with the 6.5-tonne BlueBird-6 satellite expected to be launched by the end of the year, V. Narayanan said on Thursday.

The collaboration comes on the heels of the successful launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar Mission (NISAR) by ISRO in July.

“BlueBird is a communication satellite. We have received the satellite and are working on the launch. The launch vehicle is under construction,” Narayanan told IANS at a media briefing for ESTIC-2025. “The date will be announced by the Prime Minister at the appropriate time,” he said, adding, “We are targeting to accomplish it before the end of this year.”

Block-2 BlueBird communication satellite, developed by US-based AST SpaceMobile, will be launched from Satish Dhawan Space Center Sriharikota with India’s most powerful rocket LVM3. BlueBird-6 is one of the heaviest commercial satellites, weighing 6.5 tons. The Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite reached India from the USA on October 19.

Meanwhile, Narayanan also talked about the progress made under the Gaganyaan Mission and the country’s first human spaceflight program. Narayanan revealed that the development work of the Gaganyaan Mission is nearing completion, with “about 85 to 90 percent of the activities at the subsystem level have been completed.”

“We are currently conducting integrated testing and software verification. Three uncrewed missions will be launched before the crewed flight to ensure complete safety and system reliability,” ISRO Chief told IANS.

The Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC 2025), scheduled from November 3 to November 5 at Bharat Mandapam, will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The event will focus on accelerating breakthroughs in basic scientific fields and encouraging cross-sector collaborations.

Speaking about the conclave of cardinals, Narayanan said that the event is not just for ISRO but for all science and technology departments across the country.

“There are 13 science and technology departments participating. The event will mainly showcase our potential, recognize talent and understand the vision of each department – what lies ahead and how India’s industry and startup ecosystems along with academia are contributing to science and technology,” ISRO Chief said.

Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC) Thiruvananthapuram, Dr. A. Rajarajan emphasized the need for a lunar module launch vehicle to enable an Indian to land on the Moon by 2040.

“We have configured a Lunar Module Launch Vehicle (LMLV), which is in the early stages of design and configuration. It requires a payload capacity of 75,000 kg for LEO,” Rajarajan told IANS.

Emphasizing the need for industry collaborations, he added, “We are working to improve the production capability of this vehicle in every aspect.”

“Any type of vehicle development is challenging. It has its own cycle time. We have to build an ecosystem to produce everything and make all the advancements happening globally equal by 2040,” Rajarajan said.

ESTIC 2025 is expected to bring together Nobel Laureates, industry leaders, young innovators, women entrepreneurs and emerging science leaders to define the next frontiers of scientific and technological innovation.