New Delhi, Dec 24 Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that, with the support of India's youth, the country's space program is becoming more advanced and impactful, emphasising that the increasing capabilities and boost to self-reliance are "wonderful" for future generations.
In a post on X, PM Modi said, "Powered by India's youth, our space programme is getting more advanced and impactful. With LVM3 demonstrating reliable heavy-lift performance, we are strengthening the foundations for future missions such as Gaganyaan, expanding commercial launch services and deepening global partnerships."
"This increased capability and boost to self-reliance are wonderful for the coming generations," he added.
This comes as India's Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3)-M6, carrying BlueBird 6, took off from Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota on Wednesday.
In a separate post, the Prime Minister lauded the successful take-off of Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3)-M6, carrying BlueBird 6, calling it a "significant stride" in India's space sector.
"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.
"It strengthens India's heavy-lift launch capability and reinforces our growing role in the global commercial launch market. This is also reflective of our efforts towards an Aatmanirbhar Bharat. Congratulations to our hardworking space scientists and engineers. India continues to soar higher in the world of space!" he added.
The communication satellite, weighing 6,100 kg, is the heaviest payload to be placed into the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in LVM3 launch history. The previous heaviest was the LVM3-M5 Communication Satellite 03, weighing about 4,400 kg, which was successfully launched by ISRO on November 2 in the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).
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.
This mission marks the 6th operational flight of the LVM3 launch vehicle. It also represents a significant leap in telecommunications technology, as the massive 6,100 kg payload is designed to provide high-speed 4G and 5G connectivity directly to smartphones.
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