NE SCIENCE & TECH BUREAU
SRIHARIKOTA, OCT 23
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched a constellation of 36 broadband satellites developed by OneWeb to Low Earth Orbit on Sunday. The satellites are being launched onboard the Launch Vehicle Mark-III, which is a redesignated version of the Geosynchronous Launch Vehicles (GSLV Mk-III), from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
CONGRATULATIONS @isro!!#ISRO launches LVM3-M2/OneWeb India-1 Mission from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota.#LVM3M2 pic.twitter.com/ZIkVLJRc0W
— Doordarshan National दूरदर्शन नेशनल (@DDNational) October 22, 2022
NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a central public sector enterprise under the Department of Space, had earlier signed two launch service contracts with the London-headquartered Network Access Associated Limited (OneWeb) for launching OneWeb LEO satellites on board ISRO’s LVM3.
- India’s heaviest rocket, with 36 satellites on board, lifted off from Sriharikota today.
- The tracking of various parameters for the LMV-III rocket launch is done at tracking centers located in Bengaluru, Trivandrum, Antartica, Svalbard and Lucknow.
OneWeb is a private satellite communications company, in which India’s Bharti Enterprises is a major investor and shareholder.
On Sunday, the 43.5 metre tall rocket soared majestically at 12.07 am from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here at the end of the 24-hour countdown.
The vehicle is also dubbed as one of the heaviest for its ability to carry satellites upto 8,000 kg.
A huge thanks to the teams at @ISRO and @NSIL_India for a successful lift off!
We will continue to provide updates as our 36 satellites begin to separate and start their life in space.#OneWebLaunch14 🚀 pic.twitter.com/WQacRB9Al5
— Eutelsat OneWeb (@EutelsatOneWeb) October 22, 2022
LVM-III rocket launched – First phase completed normal, Twin S200 boosters have been separated successfully. LVM3 rocket has reached a distance of 127 km.Third phase has been completed successfully. The tracking of various parameters for the LMV-III rocket launch is done at tracking centers located in Bengaluru, Trivandrum, Antartica, Svalbard and Lucknow.
This is the first commercial launch for LVM-3 and the mission is being conducted under an agreement between OneWeb and New Space India Limited (NSIL).
The sole reason behind changing the name of the vehicle from GSLV to LVM is that the rocket will not deploy the satellites in the geosynchronous orbit. The OneWeb satellites operate in Low Earth orbit (LEO) at an altitude of 1,200 kilometers. The geosynchronous orbit, on the other hand, is located 35,786 kilometers above Earth’s equator.
The GSLV-Mk-III has been configured to deploy the satellites in the LEO with two solid strap-on boosters and a liquid core stage that have been integrated at the second launch pad.
