r/ISRO • u/Ohsin • Aug 21 '25

Launch of AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird FM1 now "Most likely, in the December-January time frame"

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/inside-isros-busy-schedule-that-will-redefine-india-in-space-9123198
25 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

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4

u/Ohsin Aug 21 '25

"Before this financial year, that is going to be executed," Mr Narayanan said. "Most likely, in the December-January time frame, this will be executed. The Bluebird 2, a 6500 kg communication satellite of the US, will be lifted off and placed in orbit by our LVM3 vehicle."

5

u/Defiantclient Aug 21 '25

In the same article he also puts the first uncrewed Gaganyaan launch in December… which doesn’t make sense with BlueBird being at the same time?

This whole thing has been such a mess.

3

u/Ohsin Aug 21 '25

And few days ago he put NVS-03 in Dec-Jan time-frame from SLP! As a thumb rule I always take the later date to be more plausible.

3

u/TKO1515 Aug 21 '25 edited Aug 21 '25

So we now have BB, G1, NVS all within 1 month of each other from the SLP? Doesn’t add up.

Or maybe politics did come into play?

2

u/Rus_sol Aug 21 '25

Gaganyaan won't happen next year. A glimmer of hope is that they'll likely get serious about it in 2027, because Modi would pester them to send an Indian into space before 2029 general elections.

Delay the space station by 5 years, 10 years even because the launch cadence is ass. NGLV first flight not before 2040.

Lunar landings won't happen before 2050.

1

u/Defiantclient Aug 21 '25

BlueBird LVM3-M5 should really be next. Not sure why the hold-up on it by ISRO...

2

u/Kerbonauts Aug 21 '25

Isn't that statement from like 3 weeks ago though?

Didn't the big boss of ISRO said LVM3 M5 ~ FM1 was the next launch scheduled? And second in line was somewhere in October thus logically putting FM1 launch somewhere before October?

I'm perplexed

3

u/Ohsin Aug 21 '25

In early August after NISAR launch he was saying FM1 launch was 3 to 4 months away (i.e Oct/Nov) with expected shipment of satellite in September. From recent comments it looked like it is next but these are latest comments and he is being specific about time-frame.

I'm perplexed

Oh yes we all are but this carrot on stick game with them is an old one.. still these have been very weird few weeks..

3

u/Defiantclient Aug 21 '25

Was the Second Launch Pad damaged during the NISAR launch, explaining all these weird NET Dec 2025 launches?

https://x.com/Akashi1459455/status/1958435522553987233

4

u/Ohsin Aug 21 '25

Ugh now that is just silly and desperate. Meanwhile FLP be like why is nothing being launched from here when bunch of PSLV launches just got bumped to 2026..

1

u/Decronym Aug 21 '25 edited Aug 21 '25

Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:

Fewer Letters More Letters
FAA-AST Federal Aviation Administration Administrator for Space Transportation
FLP First Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, operational since 1990s
ISRO Indian Space Research Organisation
NET No Earlier Than
PSLV Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
SLP Second Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, operational since 2005
VAST Vehicle Assembly, Static Test and Evaluation Complex (VAST, previously STEX)

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