LVM3 puts 36 OneWeb satellites in orbit
On Sunday morning, India’s powerful LVM3 rocket took 36 UK-based Network Access Associates Ltd (OneWeb) satellites into space and started orbiting them. The mission was a huge success for the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The countdown to the second commercial launch of the LVM3 rocket was kickstarted on Saturday.
The 43.5-metre tall LVM3 rocket that weighs 643 tons carried 36 satellites, a total weighing 5,805 kg or about 5.8 tons, to space. The rocket blasted off from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 9 a.m. here.
Just over 19 minutes into its flight, the LVM3 began to sling the 36 small broadband communication satellites into low earth orbit (LEO). The satellites will be placed into a 450 km circular orbit with an inclination of 87.4 degrees.
Once all the satellites are put into orbit, the total number of foreign satellites launched by India since 1999 will be 422.
OneWeb is a joint venture between India Bharti Global and the UK government.
The Indian space agency ISRO has codenamed the mission ‘LVM3-M3/ OneWeb India-2 Mission‘.
The LVM3 (formerly GSLV-Mk III) is a three-stage rocket with the first stage fired with liquid fuel, the two strap-on motors powered by solid fuel, the second by liquid fuel and the third is the cryogenic engine.
The ISRO’s heavy-lift rocket has a carrying capacity of 10 tons to the LEO and four tons to the Geo Transfer Orbit (GTO).
The LVM3 had five consecutive successful missions, including the Chandrayaan-2 mission.
This is OneWeb’s final installment of 36 Gen1 satellites. Once all 36 satellites are put into orbit, the UK company backed by India’s Bharti Group and the UK government will have 618 satellites orbiting in space. OneWeb has 582 satellites now in orbit.
By completing the constellation, OneWeb is taking a pivotal step forward in delivering global coverage including India, the company said.
The Sunday launch is on the 18th for OneWeb.
ISRO’s commercial arm, NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL) has signed a contract with the UK company to launch 72 satellites in two phases for a launch fee of over Rs.1,000 crore, OneWeb Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal had said last October.
The first batch of 36 satellites was launched on October 23, 2022, from Sriharikota rocket port in Andhra Pradesh with the LVM3 rocket formerly known as Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle MkIII (GSLV MkIII).
OneWeb Gen-1 satellites belong to the 150 kg class. The constellation comprises 648 individual satellites. Out of that 588 Active Satellites equally divided among 12 planes operate at an altitude of about 1200 km above the Earth’s surface, ISRO said. Each plane is separated in altitude by 4 km to prevent an inter-plane collision.
The payload is a bent-pipe system operating in Ku and Ka band. The forward link receives Ka-band signals from the gateway via the satellite Ka antenna. The return link receives Ku-band signals from the User Terminals (UTs) via the satellite Ku antenna, ISRO said.
[With Inputs from IANS]
PGurus is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with all the latest news and views
For all the latest updates, download PGurus App.
- PM Modi launches another scathing attack on Congress; says ‘Rajiv Gandhi scrapped inheritance law to save family property’ - April 25, 2024
- TN: ED questions five district collectors in illegal sand mining case - April 25, 2024
- ECI issues show cause notice over alleged MCC violations by PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi; seeks response from BJP, Congress chief - April 25, 2024
