ISRO kit for commercial launch of 36 OneWeb broadband satellites on LVM3-M2 heaviest rocket board
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is getting ready to perform the first commercial launch of 36 onboard broadband communication satellites into the space agency’s heaviest Launch Vehicle LVM3-M2, the launch vehicle. The countdown begins early Saturday at the Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh.
The 43.5-meter-tall rocket is scheduled to lift off from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota at 12:07 a.m. IST on Sunday.
The rocket is dubbed as one of the heaviest rockets with the ability to carry satellites up to 8,000 kg.
Sunday’s launch is significant as the LVM3-M2 mission is the first commercial mission dedicated to NewSpace India Ltd, the commercial arm of NewSpace India. ISRO.
The mission is being carried out as part of a commercial agreement between NewSpace India Ltd and UK-based Network Access Associates Ltd (OneWeb Ltd), ISRO said.
According to the space agency, the mission will carry the heaviest payload with OneWeb’s 36 satellites becoming India’s first rocket with a payload of 5,796 kg.
This launch is also the first time that LVM-3-M2 has placed a satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO-up to 1,200 km above Earth) unlike Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).
ISRO scientists have renamed the launch vehicle LVM3-M2 from GSLV-MK III because the newest rocket is capable of launching 4,000 kg satellite into GTO and 8,000 kg payload into LEO.
The total mass of the 36 OneWeb satellites entering LEO is approximately 5,796 kg.
GSLV-Mk III has had 4 successful missions in the past, including Chandrayaan-2.
The LVM3-M2 mission will boost the space agency with a new launch vehicle to put satellites into low earth orbit, along with its trusty Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
The LVM3-M2 is a three-stage launch vehicle consisting of two solid propellant S200 straps on either side and a core stage consisting of an L110 liquid stage and a C25 cryogenic stage.
OneWeb Limited, is a UK-based customer of NSIL and it is a space-powered, space-powered global communications network that enables internet connectivity for governments and businesses.
The company is working on a constellation of 648 satellites in Low Earth Orbit. While 36 satellites will be launched on Sunday, another series of satellites is expected to be put into orbit as early as 2023, ISRO said.
Bharti Enterprises is one of the major investors in OneWeb.
