Bangladesh, Dec. 24 -- India has taken a significant step forward in its space and commercial launch ambitions with the successful deployment of its heaviest-ever commercial communications satellite into low Earth orbit. On December 24, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched the BlueBird Block-2 satellite for US-based AST SpaceMobile using its LVM3 “Baahubali” heavy-lift rocket, marking a milestone not only for Indias launch capabilities but also for its growing role in the global space economy.

The launch took place from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, in southern India, at 8:55 a.m. local time. Roughly 15 minutes after liftoff, the satellite separated from the rocket and was precisely injected...