ISRO to Launch Direct-to-Mobile Satellite for AST SpaceMobile on 24 December
The launch will place a direct-to-mobile satellite into low Earth orbit, advancing efforts to deliver cellular broadband without ground infrastructure.
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India’s space agency, ISRO, will launch a next-generation communications satellite designed to deliver cellular broadband directly to standard smartphones, marking a step toward space-based mobile coverage without ground towers.
The LVM3-M6 mission, scheduled for 24 December, will carry US-based AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird Block-2 satellite into low Earth orbit under a commercial launch deal with NewSpace India Ltd, ISRO’s commercial arm.
The satellite forms part of AST SpaceMobile’s planned low Earth orbit constellation aimed at enabling direct-to-mobile connectivity, targeting regions with limited or no terrestrial network coverage. The system is designed to support 4G and 5G voice, messaging, video, and data services without specialized handsets.
AST SpaceMobile is developing what it describes as a space-based cellular broadband network accessible to existing smartphones.
“We are on a mission to eliminate the connectivity gaps faced by today’s nearly six billion mobile subscribers,” the company said on its website.
BlueBird Block-2 features a 223-square-metre phased-array antenna and is among the largest commercial communications satellites deployed in low Earth orbit. ISRO has described it as among the heaviest commercial payload launched to date on the LVM3 rocket.
The launch follows AST SpaceMobile’s initial deployment of five BlueBird satellites in September 2024 and comes as the company works with more than 50 mobile operators globally to expand coverage.
For ISRO, the mission puts the spotlight on the LVM3 rocket’s growing role beyond national programs.
Previously used for Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-3 and OneWeb launches, the vehicle’s sixth operational flight highlights India’s expanding footprint in the global commercial launch market.
Its most recent flight, the LVM3-M5 CMS-03 mission, was completed on 2 November 2025 with the launch of a communications satellite.
LVM3 is a three-stage launch vehicle comprising two solid strap-on motors, a liquid core stage and a cryogenic upper stage.
The rocket has a lift-off mass of 640 tonnes, a height of 43.5 metres and a payload capability of 4,200 kilograms to geosynchronous transfer orbit.
