Groundbreaking US Satellite to Blasts Off from India Next Month: AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 6
Image Source: Internet
In a historic moment for space technology, the BlueBird 6 satellite, designed for Low Earth Orbit (LEO), is set to launch on December 15 aboard India's LVM-3 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The 6,500kg satellite, manufactured by AST SpaceMobile in Texas, marks the first of its next-generation satellites. This innovative technology aims to provide direct cellular broadband coverage to everyday smartphones from space, as stated by Abel Avellan, founder, chairman, and CEO of AST SpaceMobile. The satellite has undergone final assembly and testing and is now ready for launch. After flying to India on an Antonov cargo plane, BlueBird 6 will feature the largest commercial phased array in LEO, boasting nearly 2,400 square feet of space – a 3.5 times increase in size over previous iterations. This significant upgrade supports 10 times the data capacity. Although Isro has yet to officially announce the launch, its chairperson, V Narayanan, confirmed last month that the BlueBird 6 satellite would lift off in the second week of December. With this launch, AST SpaceMobile is set to revolutionize the world of space technology, bringing cellular broadband coverage to people across the globe.
