LVM-3 success strengthens India’s role in global space market: PM Modi

New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated ISRO for placing the heaviest satellite in orbit from India using the LVM3 rocket and strengthening the foundation for future missions such as the Gaganyaan.The prime minister also said that the success of the heavy-lift LVM3 rocket also reinforced India’s growing role in the global commercial launch market. ISRO’s LVM3 rocket places the 6.5 tonne Bluebird Block 2 satellite of US-based form AST Space Mobile into a 520 km circular orbit.

“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 in a post on X.“It strengthens India’s heavy-lift launch capability and reinforces our growing role in the global commercial launch market,” the prime minister said.

PM Modi said the LVM3 launch was also reflective of efforts towards an Aatmanirbhar Bharat and congratulated hardworking space scientists and engineers.“India continues to soar higher in the world of space! Powered by India’s youth, our space programme is getting more advanced and impactful,” the prime minister said. “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,” he said.“This increased capability and boost to self-reliance are wonderful for the coming generations,” the prime minister said.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday congratulated ISRO for the successful LVM3-M6 mission, saying the achievement would significantly boost India’s futuristic space missions like the proposed Bharatiya Antariksh Station and Chandrayaan-4.Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) heaviest rocket, LVM3-M6, successfully placed a US communication satellite into the low Earth orbit, a feat described by the space agency chief as a Christmas gift to the country.

“I think it is the moment of glory for the country. It has been possible because of the progress of the last 10 to 12 years (under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government). Even though the American satellites were being launched from Sriharikota earlier as well, today’s launch has demonstrated to the world that we have the capacity to launch a satellite as heavy as 6,000 kgs,” the minister told reporters here.Singh, the minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office, was here to participate in the ‘Swadeshi Mela’ organised by the local unit of the BJP to promote the ‘vocal for local’ mission. The mela was inaugurated by Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Sat Sharma.

He said the success of the LVM3-M6 mission would be useful for India’s futuristic plans, particularly the proposed Bharatiya Antariksh Station, expected to be launched by 2035, as well as Chandrayaan-4, as such programmes would require heavy payload launches.The minister said the mission was also a strong example of public-private participation, noting that the satellite belonged to a Texas-based American company engaged in developing communication satellites.

The launch, he added, demonstrated India’s growing capability to enter an era where 5G services could be delivered directly to mobile phones via satellites, without the need for towers, terminals or signal pillars.”Even though India is not into satellite telecoms at present, whenever it happens, we will already be prepared. This is an indication of the future-ready strategies being followed by India,” Singh said.He said India had proved more than once that it has not only come into its own in space technology but is also ahead of many countries in several areas, citing the example of Chandrayaan missions, including Chandrayaan-3, which was the first mission to land near the Moon’s south pole.

“India has excelled in multiple areas of space technology and has created a global model of using space applications beyond rocket launches, particularly in governance and infrastructure. Programmes such as Smart Cities, Gati Shakti and SVAMITVA have integrated space technology and are now being seen as role models globally,” he said.Pointing to inclusivity, Singh said several key space missions have been led by women scientists, reflecting a work culture based on harmony across gender and sections of society.

Referring to the “broader transformation” under Modi, the minister claimed that the sense of hopelessness among youth had given way to aspiration and confidence, with India emerging as a country that others now look towards.”India, once dependent on imports, has emerged as a defence exporter to over 100 countries, with the sector’s exports crossing Rs 23,000 crore, reflecting growing self-reliance and global trust,” he said.