The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is gearing up for another collaboration with the US with its BlueBird-6 satellite, a 6.5-tonne satellite expected to be launched by the end of the year, said ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan on Thursday.
The collaboration has come on the heels of the successful launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar Mission (NISAR) by ISRO in July.
“BlueBird is a communication satellite. We have received the satellite, and we are working on the launch. The launch vehicle build-up is going on,” Narayanan told IANS during a media briefing for ESTIC-2025. “The date will be announced by the Prime Minister at the appropriate time,” he said, adding, “We are targeting to accomplish it before the end of this year.”
The Block-2 BlueBird communications satellite, developed by the US-based AST SpaceMobile, will be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, aboard India’s most powerful rocket, the LVM3. BlueBird-6 is one of the heaviest commercial satellites, weighing 6.5 tonnes. The Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite arrived in India from the US on October 19.
Meanwhile, Narayanan also spoke about the Gaganyaan Mission and the progress made under the country’s first human spaceflight program. Narayanan revealed that development work for the Gaganyaan Mission is nearing completion, “with about 85 to 90 percent of subsystem-level activities finalized.”
“We are now conducting integrated tests and software validation. Three uncrewed missions will be launched before the crewed flight to ensure full safety and system reliability,” the ISRO Chief told IANS.
The Emerging Science, Technology, and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC 2025), scheduled from November 3 to November 5 at Bharat Mandapam, will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The event will focus on accelerating breakthroughs in key scientific domains and fostering collaborations across sectors.
Speaking about the conclave, Narayanan said that the event is not only for ISRO but for all science and technology departments across the country.
“There are 13 science and technology departments involved. The event will mainly showcase our potential, appreciate talent, and understand the vision of each department — what lies ahead and how India’s industry and startup ecosystems are contributing to science and technology, along with academia,” the ISRO Chief said.
Dr. A. Rajarajan, Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, stressed the need for a lunar module launch vehicle to enable the landing of an Indian on the Moon by 2040.
“We have configured a Lunar Module Launch Vehicle (LMLV), which is in the initial stages of design and configuration. It requires a 75,000 kg payload capability for LEO,” Rajarajan told IANS.
“We are working on advancing the manufacturing capability of this vehicle in all aspects,” he added, while emphasizing the need for industry collaborations.
“Any vehicle development is challenging. It has its own cycle time. We have to establish an ecosystem to manufacture everything and incorporate all advancements that have happened globally to be on par by 2040,” Rajarajan said.
ESTIC 2025 is expected to unite Nobel Laureates, industry leaders, young innovators, women entrepreneurs, and emerging science leaders to define the next frontiers of scientific and technological innovation.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
