NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Isro after its ‘Bahubali’ rocket LVM-M6 successfully placed US’s new-generation BlueBird Block-2 communication satellite, weighing 6,100 kg, into orbit. It was the heaviest payload to be placed into the low earth orbit (LEO) in LVM3’s launch history — the previous heaviest was the LVM3-M5 communication satellite 03, weighing about 4,400 kg, that was placed into the geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) on November 2.“A significant stride in India’s space sector. The successful LVM3-M6 launch, placing the heaviest satellite ever launched from Indian soil, the spacecraft of USA, BlueBird Block-2, into its intended orbit, marks a proud milestone in India’s space journey,” PM Modi said in a post on X.The mission marks the 6th operational flight of the LVM3 launch vehicle. It also represents a significant leap in telecommunications technology, as the US payload is designed to provide high-speed 4G and 5G connectivity directly to smartphones.BlueBird Block-2 is the second important US satellite launch from India this year after the Indo-US joint mission’s NISAR, the world’s costliest (around $1.5 billion) and most advanced Earth-imaging satellite. As of late Dec 2025, Isro has launched at least 234 satellites for the US. Since 2015, when India launched the first commercial US satellites on board PSLV-C30, American satellites make up the largest portion of the total 434 foreign satellites launched by Isro, contributing significantly to the nearly $143 million in foreign exchange revenue generated by these launches.Space minister Jitendra Singh also congratulated Isro on the successful launch. “I think it is the moment of glory for the country. It has been possible because of the progress of the last 10 to 12 years (under the PM Narendra Modi-led government). Even though the American satellites were being launched from Sriharikota earlier as well, today’s launch has demonstrated to the world that we have the capacity to launch a satellite as heavy as 6,000 kgs,” he said. Placing a 6-tonne-class satellite into LEO is significant because payload mass has become a key indicator for constellation efficiency in the direct-to-device and hybrid satellite-terrestrial era. Heavier satellites enable higher payload consolidation, fewer orbital assets, simplified phasing, and lower per-user costs when serving mass-market connectivity. From an operator’s perspective, this reduces both capital intensity and operational complexity. India’s demonstrated ability to support such missions meaningfully alters how global satcom players model constellation architecture, insurance exposure, and launch diversification.Commenting on the broader significance, Subba Rao, president of Space Industry Association India, said: “This mission demonstrates that India is now part of the core commercial LEO deployment landscape. The importance lies not only in launch success, but in what it signals about India’s industrial readiness, reliability, and ability to support constellations at scale over time. That confidence is what global operators ultimately build programmes around.”Several industrial units from the Indian private industry have contributed significantly to LVM3 rocket success. Ananth Technologies Pvt Ltd (ATL), a long-standing partner of the Indian Space Programme, said, ‘It is proud to have contributed to this historic mission”. “ATL has been closely associated with the LVM3 programme and has delivered critical flight hardware, avionics systems, electronics, and precision subsystems that play a vital role in mission success,” a company statement said.
