The US‑licensed BlueBird-6 satellite, built by AST SpaceMobile, is scheduled to launch on 15 December 2025 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, on ISRO’s LVM‑3 heavy‑lift rocket, subject to final confirmation by Indian authorities.

Weighing about 6.5 tons, it will be among the heaviest commercial communications spacecraft ever placed in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and marks a major commercial milestone for LVM‑3 and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), ISRO’s commercial arm.​

BlueBird-6 is the first satellite in AST SpaceMobile’s Block‑2, or next‑generation, series, intended to underpin a global space‑based cellular broadband network that connects directly to unmodified smartphones.

The mission follows the arrival of the satellite in India in October aboard an Antonov cargo aircraft and its transfer by road to Sriharikota for integration and pre‑launch checks.​

BlueBird-6 is designed specifically for LEO operations and carries what is described as the largest commercial phased array communications antenna yet flown in this orbit regime, with an effective area of nearly 2,400 square feet. This array is about 3.5 times larger than that on earlier BlueBird-1–5 spacecraft and is intended to increase available data capacity by roughly an order of magnitude, enabling significantly higher throughput per satellite.​

Each next‑generation BlueBird platform is expected to support processing bandwidth of up to 10,000 MHz and peak downlink speeds on the order of 120 Mbps per cell, allowing direct‑to‑device broadband rather than narrowband messaging services. The spacecraft leverages AST SpaceMobile’s patented technologies and is designed to operate on 3GPP‑standard cellular frequencies in cooperation with partner mobile network operators.​

ISRO’s LVM‑3 (also referred to in commercial contexts as LVM‑3‑M5 for this flight) is a three‑stage heavy‑lift launch vehicle capable of placing large payloads into LEO and geosynchronous transfer orbit. For BlueBird 6 it is being employed in a commercial configuration managed by NSIL, demonstrating LVM‑3’s ability to compete globally in the high‑mass LEO launch segment.​

BlueBird-6 is expected to be injected into a LEO band of roughly 600–900 km altitude, from which it will make multiple orbits per day while providing wide‑area cellular coverage footprints. Mission timelines shared publicly by AST SpaceMobile indicate the start of a high‑cadence launch campaign, with follow‑on satellites to be deployed on multiple launches approximately every one to two months through 2026.​

AST SpaceMobile’s stated goal is to deliver “ubiquitous” space‑based cellular broadband coverage directly to everyday smartphones without the need for dedicated satellite terminals or ground relays at the user end. The large phased array on BlueBird-6 is central to this concept, enabling high‑gain, steerable beams that can close the link with low‑power handheld devices and support broadband‑class data rates.​

The company has partnerships with more than 50 mobile network operators collectively serving nearly three billion subscribers, and its spectrum strategy blends its own licences with spectrum access provided by those partners. Continuous coverage of the United States and selected markets is expected to require between 45 and 60 BlueBird‑class satellites, which AST SpaceMobile aims to have in orbit by the end of 2026 if its launch cadence targets are met.​

For ISRO and NSIL, the BlueBird 6 launch reinforces India’s positioning as a cost‑effective, heavy‑lift launch provider for demanding commercial missions, following earlier international payloads on LVM‑3. Handling a 6.5‑tonne class LEO communications satellite demonstrates the maturity of India’s launch infrastructure, ground logistics and integration capabilities for very large non‑Indian spacecraft.​

The mission also exemplifies the expanding India–US space partnership, complementing projects such as NISAR and creating new commercial linkages with US‑based space and telecom firms.

Success with BlueBird 6 could position LVM‑3 as an attractive option for other mega‑constellation operators seeking diversified launch options outside the currently dominant providers.​

AST SpaceMobile has indicated that production of around 40 additional next‑generation satellites is underway, with completion of this batch targeted for early 2026 and a production rate ramping towards several satellites per month. The company expects to conduct about five orbital launches by the end of the first quarter of 2026, with further launches thereafter to reach its stated 45–60 satellite objective.​

Once a critical number of BlueBird spacecraft are operational, initial continuous coverage is planned for the United States and select priority markets, before expansion towards more global service including underserved regions with weak terrestrial networks.

In parallel, AST SpaceMobile continues regulatory work and field trials with partner operators to validate interoperability, roaming, and service quality for direct‑to‑device broadband at scale.​

Agencies