The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is preparing to launch a 6,500 kg communication satellite built by the United States from Indian soil within the next couple of months. This announcement, made by ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan on Sunday, August 10, 2025, follows the successful launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission on July 30, 2025.

Narayanan made the announcement at the 21st Convocation of the SRM Institute of Science and Technology in Kattankulathur, near Chennai, where he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree. He recalled ISRO's early days, noting that the agency was established in 1963, a time when India was significantly behind other technologically advanced nations. He mentioned that the United States donated a small rocket to India that year, marking the beginning of the Indian space program.

He highlighted ISRO's demonstration of "mass communication" in 1975, which utilized satellite data provided by the U.S. to connect 2,400 television sets across 2,400 villages in six Indian states. Reflecting on the progress made since then, Narayanan stated that July 30, 2025, was a "historical day" for the Indian space program, with the successful launch of the NISAR satellite. He described NISAR as the "costliest satellite ever built," carrying an L-Band SAR payload from the U.S. and an S-Band payload from ISRO, and placed into orbit with precision by an Indian launcher.

The NISAR mission is a joint project between NASA and ISRO to study Earth's land and ice deformation, land ecosystems, and oceanic regions. Launched on July 30, 2025, aboard a GSLV-F16 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, the satellite is designed to scan nearly all land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days with centimeter-level accuracy. The mission has now entered a 90-day commissioning phase for system checks and calibrations.

Narayanan also noted the NASA team's appreciation for the precision of the GSLV-F16/NISAR mission. He emphasized the significant growth of India's space program, stating that a country that once received a small rocket from the United States is now preparing to launch a 6,500 kg communication satellite built by America, using its own launcher from Indian soil. He also mentioned that ISRO has launched 433 satellites for 34 countries using its own launch vehicles.

According to one source, the satellite that ISRO will launch for the U.S. is the Block 2 BlueBird communication satellite. It is expected to arrive in India the following week and will be launched on ISRO's heaviest rocket, LVM3-M5, from Sriharikota. This satellite is designed to provide direct-to-smartphone broadband connectivity with data speeds up to 120 Mbps, eliminating the need for specialized terminals. It will feature large communication arrays and aims to address global connectivity gaps.