"Entire country is proud of you": Mallikarjun Kharge hails ISRO's BlueBird Block-2 mission success

New Delhi [India], December 24 (ANI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on the successful launch of LVM3-M6, which placed the BlueBird Block-2 satellite into its intended orbit, describing it as a landmark achievement that has made the entire country proud.
In a post on X, Kharge lauded ISRO's scientists, engineers, space researchers and ground teams for accomplishing two major milestones - the deployment of the largest commercial communication satellite in low Earth orbit (LEO) and the launch of the heaviest payload ever lifted from Indian soil.
He said India's present-day success rests on the "visionary foundations laid by our pioneers", who built the country's space programme as an instrument of nation-building and social development.
"Many Congratulations to ISRO on a landmark mission! Warm felicitations to @ISRO's scientists, engineers, space researchers and ground teams on the successful LVM3 mission. The entire country is proud of you. This mission achieved two outstanding milestones - deployment of the largest commercial communication satellite in low earth orbit, and the launch of the heaviest payload ever (6,100 kg) from Indian soil. Our success stands on the visionary foundations laid by our pioneers, who built India's space programme as a pillar of nation-building and social development", Kharge posted on X.
Kharge's remarks came after ISRO successfully launched the BlueBird Block-2 communication satellite of the United States' AST SpaceMobile this morning. The satellite was successfully placed in Orbit, and the mission was declared a success.
The launch took place from the Satish Dhawan Space Station in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, at 8:55 AM IST.
The mission deploys the next-generation communication satellite designed to provide high-speed cellular broadband directly to smartphones worldwide. The BlueBird Block-2 spacecraft would be the heaviest payload to be launched into Low Earth Orbit in the history of the LVM3 rocket.
The satellite is part of the next generation of BlueBird Block-2 communication satellites, designed to provide space-based cellular broadband connectivity directly to standard mobile smartphones, ISRO said.
LVM3, developed by ISRO, is a three-stage launch vehicle comprising two solid strap-on motors (S200), a liquid core stage (L110), and a cryogenic upper stage (C25). It has a lift-off mass of 640 tonnes, a height of 43.5 meters, and a payload capability of 4,200 kg to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).
In its earlier missions, LVM3 successfully launched Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-3, and two OneWeb missions carrying 72 satellites. The previous launch of LVM3 was the LVM3-M5/CMS-03 mission, which was successfully accomplished on November 2 this year.
AST SpaceMobile, as per its website, is building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by everyday smartphones, designed for both commercial and government applications.
According to AST SpaceMobile, its BlueBird satellites provide broadband directly to standard smartphones without specialised hardware or phone modifications, allowing users to make video calls, browse the web, and use 4G and 5G internet speeds from anywhere on Earth. (ANI)