Tirupati: ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan offered prayers at the Tirupati temple on Monday ahead of the launch of the LVM3-M6/BlueBird Block-2 mission scheduled for 24 December.

The Indian Space Research Organisation is set to launch the LVM3-M6 rocket on Wednesday as part of a dedicated commercial mission to deploy the BlueBird Block-2 communication satellite for US-based AST SpaceMobile.

Narayanan, accompanied by senior ISRO officials, reportedly carried a miniature model of the launch vehicle while offering prayers at the temple.

“On 24 December, we are targeting the launch of BlueBird-2 using our Bahubali rocket, the M6,” Narayanan told PTI Videos. He noted that the mission would place the heaviest satellite ever launched from Indian soil into orbit.

According to the ISRO Chairman, the BlueBird Block-2 satellite is designed to support 4G and 5G communication services, marking a significant milestone in India’s commercial space launch capabilities.

(PTI)