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OneWeb on Sunday confirmed the successful deployment of 36 satellites launched by NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR) in Sriharikota at 00.07 hours.
This launch by ISRO and NSIL is one of the biggest commercial orders by India’s premier space organisation, and the first to use the LVM3 rocket.
OneWeb’s satellites separated successfully from the rocket and were dispensed in nine phases over a period of 1 hour and 15 minutes, with the signal acquisition on all 36 satellites confirmed, said a release from OneWeb in which Bharti Global is the largest investor.
This is OneWeb’s 14th launch, bringing the constellation to 462 satellites. This launch represents more than 70 per cent of its planned 648 Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite fleet that will deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity worldwide.
With only four more launches to go, OneWeb remains on track to activate global coverage in 2023, while its connectivity solutions are already live in regions north of 50 degrees latitude.
ISRO successfully launches 36 OneWeb satellites
OneWeb’s commitment
This partnership with NSIL and ISRO demonstrates OneWeb’s commitment to providing connectivity across the length and breadth of India by 2023.
From Ladakh to Kanyakumari and Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh, OneWeb will bring secured solutions not only to enterprises but also to towns, villages, municipalities and schools, including the hardest-to-reach areas across the country. OneWeb’s commitment to enhance connectivity in India is backed by Bharti Global, the release said.
The LVM3 launch vehicle with complete indigenised technology had four consecutive successful missions, which includes the critical Chandrayaan-2 mission. The vehicle underwent several critical tests as a part of human rating for the Gaganyaan programme.
The cryo stage was designed to orient and re-orient in the orthogonal direction to meet the customer requirements of injecting satellites precisely and with a gap to avoid a collision. The vehicle was realised in a short span of time on a demand-driven basis to meet the user’s timeline.
ISRO Chairman S Somanath said that the mission is critical to meet the customer’s expectations to launch 36 satellites in nine phases with precision. The mission was designed in such a way that the C25 stage was to handle this operation using in-house built inertial navigation systems.
‘Significant milestone’
Sunil Bharti Mittal, Executive Chairman of OneWeb, said, “Today’s launch is a significant milestone for OneWeb. This new phase of our launch programme from India brings us a step closer to not only enhancing our global coverage but also delivering connectivity in India and South Asia, particularly to the communities who need it most.”
“I am proud to be here in Sriharikota, with our partners, ISRO and NSIL. Today my dream of having an Indian element in the OneWeb constellation has been realised. This launch with ISRO and NSIL opens up the space sector in India with the possibility of billions of dollars flowing into the country,” he said.
Mittal added, “I would like to laud our Prime Minister for his visionary leadership in the opening up of the space sector for private participation. I also extend my gratitude to ISRO, NSIL and the Indian authorities for matching the precise schedule for this launch, which has been done in a record time.”
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