NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) successfully deployed 36 satellites launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC- SHAR) in Sriharikota, India. This launch will deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity across the globe. This launch by ISRO and NSIL is one of the biggest commercial orders by India’s premier space organization, and the first using the LVM3 rocket.
LVM3 M2/OneWeb India-1 mission is completed successfully. All the 36 satellites have been placed into intended orbits. @NSIL_India @OneWeb
— ISRO (@isro) October 22, 2022
The lift-off took place on Sunday, 23rd October 2022 at 12:7 am. OneWeb’s satellites separated successfully from the rocket and were separated in nine phases over a period of 1 hour and 15 minutes, with signal acquisition on all 36 satellites confirmed.
“Today’s event is very historic to the country and the Indian Space Programme. This is the first ever commercial launch of LVM3 with a heaviest payload to LEO. The LVM3 was conceived primarily for launching geo-stationary satellites with a payload capacity of 4T, which can be used for launching 6T payloads for LEO” said, Secretary Department of Space and Chairman, ISRO Somanath S.
He further added, the mission is very critical to meet the customer’s expectations to launch 36 satellites in 9 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. The injection of the satellites was so precise to the expectation of the customer. NSIL, the commercial arm of ISRO, entered into this contract and executed the same in a record time.
This will enhance connectivity in India from Ladakh to Kanyakumari and Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh even in remotest areas.
“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” said Executive Chairman of OneWeb Sunil Bharti Mittal.
The LVM3 launch vehicle is completely indigenised technology and had four 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 successful launch of 36 OneWeb satellites via the GSLV-MkIII from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre is a historic moment for NSIL and ISRO. We worked closely with the OneWeb team to support this milestone launch, which has been accomplished in a record time of a few months, while also illustrating the opportunities for satellite connectivity in India. We look forward to strengthening our partnership with OneWeb and utilising the potential that LEO connectivity has to deliver broadband services across India” said, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, NewSpace India Limited Radhakrishnan D.