New Delhi: India is gearing up to launch a large American communication satellite, enabling a significant milestone in satellite telephony. This advanced satellite will enable direct mobile phone calls through space, showcasing revolutionary technology in the field. This marks the first time an American company is launching a large communications satellite from India through a dedicated launch on an Indian rocket. Until now, India has only launched smaller satellites built by American companies.
According to an NDTV report, India’s Science Minister, Dr. Jitendra Singh, revealed that “In February or March we will be launching a US satellite for mobile communication, this satellite will enable voice communication on mobile phones. It will be an interesting mission”.
The identity of the American satellite operator has not been confirmed by the minister or the Indian space agency ISRO, but experts confirm that it is AST SpaceMobile, a Texas-based company, planning to launch its large communication satellite from Sriharikota. The US company has stated that users can make voice calls using any smartphone with their services. In contrast, most other satellite-based Internet and voice providers require subscribers to purchase special handsets or terminals, as Starlink does.
According to reports from American media, Abel Avellan, CEO of AST SpaceMobile, revealed in an investor call last year that the company plans to use the Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) to launch a single Block 2 Bluebird satellite.
Each Bluebird satellite will feature an antenna spanning 64 square meters, roughly half the size of a football field. Weighing nearly 6,000 kilograms, the satellite will be placed into low Earth orbit by India’s rocket. Earlier, Abel Avellan stated that the company “invented a technology that connects satellites directly to ordinary cell phones and provides broadband internet through the largest ever commercial phase array in low Earth orbit”.
An ISRO expert stated that this satellite will enable “direct-to-mobile communication,” and the company plans to place several large satellites into Earth’s orbit to support this groundbreaking technology. ISRO experts confirmed that AST SpaceMobile has enlisted the services of India’s “Baahubali” rocket, the Launch Vehicle Mark-3, to launch the Bluebird satellite.
This is a significant boost for ISRO, as even American companies are now placing their trust in India’s LVM-3, which has a perfect success record. Prior to this, LVM-3 had two dedicated commercial launches to deploy satellites for the OneWeb constellation, in which Bharti Enterprises holds a major stake. Bharti Enterprises also owns the Indian telecom service Airtel.
According to an NDTV report, ISRO experts have clarified that this is a fully commercial launch managed by New Space India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of the Department of Space. India is only offering a launch service for the American satellite, with no further participation.
