ISRO’s LVM3 rocket successfully placed 36 OneWeb satellites into their intended orbits, marking the second mission for ISRO and the 18th launch for OneWeb. The satellites, after being placed into low-earth orbits, were divided among 12 planes to prevent inter-plane collision. NewSpace India Ltd Chairman and Managing Director, D Radhakrishnan, hailed ISRO for undertaking a complex mission and being successful in it. OneWeb now has 616 satellites in its fleet, which is more than enough to launch global services later this year. ISRO’s LVM3 rocket completed its sixth consecutive successful flight, with five consecutive missions including Chandrayaan-2. Keywords relevant to the article include OneWeb, ISRO, LVM3, Satellites, and Launch.
ISRO’s LVM3 Rocket Successfully Delivers 36 Internet Satellites into Intended Orbits for OneWeb Group Company
On March 26th, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched the heaviest LVM3 rocket, delivering 36 internet satellites for the UK-based OneWeb group company into intended orbits. The rocket was launched at 9 am, from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The launch occurred at the end of a 24.30-hour countdown, and the rocket successfully delivered all 36 satellites into their intended orbits.
This marks the second dedicated mission of NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO, which had signed an agreement with Network Access Associates Ltd, United Kingdom, a OneWeb Group Company, for the launch of 72 satellites into Low-Earth orbits (LEO). ISRO had launched the first batch of 36 satellites on October 23, 2022, and the second batch on March 26th, 2023.
OneWeb is a global communication network powered from space, enabling connectivity for governments and businesses. As soon as the rocket took off, the first set of 16 satellites were injected around 20 minutes after lift-off, while the remaining satellites were placed into intended orbits later. OneWeb confirmed the acquisition of signals from all 36 satellites.
“In its sixth consecutive successful flight, LVM3 carried 5,805 kgs of payload to Low Earth Orbit,” the space agency said on its official social media account. The launch vehicle had a total payload of 5,805 kg and reached the required altitude of 450 km in about nine minutes of flight, achieving satellite injection conditions.
ISRO Chairman S Somanath congratulated NSIL, ISRO, and OneWeb for the successful launch of the mission. Somanath expressed his gratitude to NSIL for its support and OneWeb India team for their confidence in ISRO for building the rocket. Union Minister Jitendra Singh lauded ISRO for the accomplishment.
The LVM3-M3/OneWeb India-2 mission is considered a significant boost for ISRO’s human space mission, according to S Somanath. He addressed scientists at the Mission Control Centre and stated that the first 16 satellites of the series are already placed in the right orbit. ISRO is anticipating confirmation of the remaining spacecraft separation soon, once the onboard storage data is acquired by the Indian ground stations.
ISRO Launches Second Mission of 2023: LVM3 Rocket Successfully Delivers 36 OneWeb Satellites into Intended Orbits
On March 26th, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the second mission of 2023, delivering 36 OneWeb satellites into their intended orbits. This was the 18th launch for OneWeb and the second mission for ISRO after the successful launch of the SSLV/D2-EOS07 in February.
The rocket was launched at 9 am from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota and successfully delivered all 36 satellites into their intended orbits. The first set of satellite separation (comprising four of the 36 satellites) occurred about 20 minutes after lift-off, while the remaining satellites were deployed into their respective orbits in phases later.
The NewSpace India Ltd Chairman and Managing Director, D Radhakrishnan, praised the Indian space agency for being successful in undertaking a complex mission, hailing it as a “momentous” day for NewSpace India Ltd. He also expressed his gratitude to OneWeb for putting its faith in NSIL’s capabilities.
OneWeb now has 616 satellites in its fleet, which is more than enough to launch global services later this year. The company highlights the collaboration between the United Kingdom and Indian space industries. This mission marks OneWeb’s second satellite deployment from India.
The ISRO chairman, S Somanath, expressed his gratitude to NSIL for its support and also for the confidence that the OneWeb India team had reposed in ISRO for building the rocket. Union Minister Jitendra Singh also lauded ISRO for the successful launch.
The satellites, after being placed into the low-earth orbits, were divided among 12 planes at an altitude of about 1,200 km from the Earth’s surface. ISRO said that each plane would be separated at an altitude of 4 km to prevent inter-plane collision.
NewSpace India Ltd Chairman and Managing Director, D Radhakrishnan, also noted that “one special thing that we see in this particular mission is the cryogenic stage being used for such a complex manoeuvre to meet the requirements of OneWeb in deploying the 36 satellites.” He added that it was “extremely challenging stuff that has been done and repeated here once again in this second mission.”
The ISRO chairman, S Somanath, added that “based on observations, the vehicle has done extremely well, it went up to the right orbit and placed the spacecraft at the right orbit and also with very minimal disturbances to it.”
In conclusion, the launch of the LVM3-M3/OneWeb India-2 mission marks a significant milestone for both ISRO and OneWeb, highlighting the collaboration between the United Kingdom and Indian space industries.
ISRO’s LVM3 Rocket Completes Sixth Successful Flight
ISRO’s LVM3 rocket, formerly known as the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk III (GSLV Mk III) with a cryogenic upper stage, completed its sixth consecutive successful flight. The rocket was deployed in five consecutive missions, including the Chandrayaan-2 mission.
Don’t miss interesting posts on Famousbio
