ISRO has begun the countdown for the launch of its LVM3 rocket, which will carry 36 OneWeb satellites into low earth orbit. The countdown started at 8.30 a.m. on Saturday and is progressing smoothly, with the rocket and satellite systems being checked during the countdown. Once launched, the rocket will blast off carrying OneWeb’s final instalment of 36 Gen1 satellites weighing 5,805 kg. The OneWeb is backed by India’s telecom major Bharti Group, and with the successful launch of the satellites on March 26, the company will complete the global footprint of its Gen 1 constellation. OneWeb has 582 satellites now in orbit. The payload of the satellite is a bent-pipe system operating in Ku and Ka band. ISRO’s commercial arm, NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), has signed a contract with OneWeb to launch 72 satellites in two phases for a launch fee of over Rs 1,000 crore.
ISRO to Launch LVM3 Rocket Carrying 36 OneWeb Satellites on March 26
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has started the countdown for the launch of its LVM3 rocket carrying 36 satellites of the UK-based Network Access Associated Ltd (OneWeb) on Sunday, March 26, from the second launch pad at the rocket port in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The LVM3 is a three-stage rocket that weighs 643 tonnes and is 43.5 metres tall. The rocket’s first stage will be fired with liquid fuel, the two strap-on motors powered by solid fuel, the second by liquid fuel and the third by a cryogenic engine.
The rocket will blast off at 9 a.m., carrying OneWeb’s final instalment of 36 Gen1 satellites weighing 5,805 kg. The satellites will be slung into low earth orbit (LEO). The LVM3 is a heavy lift rocket with a carrying capacity of 10 tons to the ALEO and four tons to the Geo Transfer Orbit (GTO).
According to a senior ISRO official, the countdown started at 8.30 a.m. and is progressing smoothly. During the countdown, the rocket and satellite systems will be checked, while fuel for the rocket will also be filled. Just over 19 minutes after the rocket’s blast off, the process of satellite separation will begin, with the separation of 36 satellites happening in phases.
The OneWeb is backed by India’s telecom major Bharti Group, and with the successful launch of the satellites on March 26, the company will complete the global footprint of its Gen 1 constellation. OneWeb has 582 satellites in orbit, and on March 26, the total number is expected to go up to 618. By completing the constellation, OneWeb is taking a pivotal step forward in delivering global coverage, including India, the company had said.
The upcoming rocket mission, codenamed LVM3-M3/OneWeb India-2 Mission by ISRO, will be the 18th one for OneWeb. The first batch of 36 satellites was launched on October 23, 2022, from the Sriharikota rocket port in Andhra Pradesh with the LVM3 rocket formerly known as Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle MkIII (GSLV MkIII).
OneWeb to Launch 72 Satellites with ISRO’s Commercial Arm
According to OneWeb Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, ISRO’s commercial arm, NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), has signed a contract with OneWeb to launch 72 satellites in two phases for a launch fee of over Rs 1,000 crore. OneWeb’s Gen-1 is a 150 kg class satellite, with a constellation comprising 648 individual satellites. Out of those, 588 active satellites operate at an altitude of about 1200 km above the Earth’s surface, equally divided among 12 planes, with each plane separated in altitude by 4 km to prevent inter-plane collision. The payload is a bent-pipe system operating in Ku and Ka band.
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