New Delhi: ISRO’s launch schedule for wrapping up 2026 has been revealed by regional media reports. According to a report in ABN Andhra Jyothy, the LVM3-M6
flight has been pushed by a week to 21 December. This flight was initially slotted for 15 December. The PSLV-C62 flight has now been scheduled for the last day of the year, on 31 December, according to a report in Sakshi. ISRO has been aiming to launch the Gaganyaan G1 mission by the end of the year as well, that uses a human-rated LVM3 rocket. The larger LVM3 rockets use the higher capacity Second Launch Pad, while the smaller PSLV can fly from the First Launch Pad as well.
The LVM3-M6 flight is for launching Bluebird 6, part of a communications constellation by AST Spacemobile, that provides complete broadband coverage over the United States from satellites directly to smartphones, with no special hardware necessary. The constellation boasts of the largest commercial phased array deployed in Low Earth Orbit. The primary passenger of the PSLV-C62 mission is the EOS-N1 satellite, a hyperspectral Earth observation satellite developed by DRDO, and dubbed ‘Ánvesha’. There are 18 copassengers on board, including a demonstrator for the Kestrel reentry payload by the Spanish Startup Orbital Paradigm and the Mira space telescope developed by Hyderabad-based EON Space Labs.
Action-packed Q1 2026
The pair of launches will lead up to an action-packed first quarter of 2026, that will see nearly two flights every month. The first flight in 2026 is likely to be the highly anticipated uncrewed Gaganyaan G1 mission which will be the first integrated launch of the brand new hardware developed for India’s human spaceflight programme. This will be followed by a GSLV launch and then a pair of PSLV launches, one of which is the first to be realised by private industries. ISRO also aims to execute the first operational flight of the SSLV, its newest and smallest rocket by March.
