OneWeb has confirmed the successful deployment of 36 satellites, marking its 14th launch and bringing the constellation to 462 satellites. This represents 70 per cent completion of its planned 648 Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite fleet.
The recent satellites were launched by NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC- SHAR) in Sriharikota, India.
The lift-off took place on Sunday, 23rd October 2022 at 00.07hrs local time. OneWeb’s satellites separated successfully from the rocket and were dispensed in nine phases over a period of 1 hour and 15 minutes, with signal acquisition on all 36 satellites confirmed.
OneWeb aims to provide connectivity across the length and breadth of India by 2023.
Shri. Somanath S, secretary, department of space and chairman, ISRO,said: “Today’s event is very historic to the country and the Indian Space Programme. This is the first ever commercial launch of LVM3 with the heaviest payload to LEO. The LVM3 wasconceived primarily for launching geo-stationary satellites with a payload capacity of 4T, which can be used for launching 6T payloads for LEO.
“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 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.”
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.”
