India’s space agency successfully launches US communication satellite

India's space agency announced Wednesday that it successfully launched the US's new generation BlueBird Block-2 communication satellite via its LVM3-M6 rocket.

Weighing 6,100 kilograms (13,448 pounds), the satellite is the heaviest payload to be placed into low Earth orbit (LEO) by the LVM3 from Indian soil.

"The LVM3-M6 mission has successfully placed the BlueBird Block-2 satellite into its intended orbit," the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said after the liftoff from southern India.

According to the agency, the mission is a dedicated commercial mission and is the "largest commercial communications satellite placed in low Earth orbit."

The satellite is part of a "next generation" of BlueBird Block-2 communication satellites "designed to provide space-based cellular broadband connectivity directly to standard mobile smartphones," the space agency said.