WATCH: ISRO successfully launches 36 OneWeb internet satellites to space on LVM-III

The Indian Space Research Organisation launched 36 OneWeb internet satellites on its heaviest launch vehicle into space from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. At the end of the 24.5 hour countdown, the 43.5 metre tall rocket blasted off at 9 am from the second launch pad here, about 135 km from Chennai.

OneWeb is a low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company from the United Kingdom (UK). India's Bharti Enterprises is a major investor and shareholder in OneWeb.

The OneWeb satellite launch is significant because it represents a major step forward in the effort to provide global internet access to people all over the world. The OneWeb constellation of satellites, when fully deployed, will provide high-speed internet access to even the most remote and underserved areas of the planet.

The company said the mission would be one of the "most significant milestones" in the history of OneWeb as it will add 36 satellites to the OneWeb fleet and complete first ever global LEO constellation.
"OneWeb will soon be ready to roll out its global coverage", the Indian space agency said.

ISRO said the launch vehicle mission would place the 36 first generation satellites weighing 5,805 kgs into a 450 kms circular orbit with an inclination of about 87.4 degree.

This is the sixth flight of LVM3 which was earlier known as Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle MkIII (GSLVMkIII). It had five consecutive missions including the Chandrayaan-2.

The first set of 36 satellites for OneWeb Group company was launched on October 23, 2022. OneWeb is a global communication network powered from the space, enabling connectivity for governments and businesses.

Sunday's launch will be the second mission for Network Access Associates Limited, United Kingdom (OneWeb Group Company) under a commercial agreement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) to launch 72 satellites to Low-Earth Orbits.

The three-stage rocket, its first stage is fired with liquid fuel, the two strap-on motors powered by solid fuel, the second by liquid fuel, and the cryogenic engine. It has a carrying capacity of 10 tons to the theALEO and four tons to the Geo Transfer Orbit (GTO), according to a report in IANS.

The process of satellite separation will begin in phases 19 minutes after the rocket's blast off.

Launch vehicle has been renamed from GSLV Mk-3 to LVM-3

ISRO has renamed the launch vehicle from GSLV Mk-3 (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) to LVM-3. The sole reason behind changing the name of the vehicle from GSLV to LVM is that the rocket will not deploy the OneWeb satellites in geosynchronous orbit but in the LEO.

The OneWeb satellites operate at an altitude of 1,200km in the LEO, whereas the geosynchronous orbit is located 35,786km above Earth's equator.

OneWeb uses satellites in LEO to provide internet access

OneWeb uses satellites in the LEO to provide broadband internet access, as opposed to conventional methods that employ satellites placed in geostationary orbits (GEO) above the equator.

LEO satellites, which are placed in orbits ranging from 200km to 1,500km from Earth, significantly increase the bandwidth and reduce latency in space to around 50-70 milliseconds, according to GSMA Intelligence.

Why OneWeb mission is important?

In March last year, OneWeb canceled a planned launch of 36 broadband satellites aboard Russia's Soyuz rocket following Moscow's invasion on Ukraine.

The company then contracted ISRO for the launch of 72 satellites in two phases, which reportedly cost about Rs. 1,000 crore. Today's launch will mark over 600 satellites for OneWebb, paving the way to offer broadband internet services from space to every corner of the world.

For ISRO, this would be the second launch in 2023 after the successful launch of SSLV-D2/EOS07 mission in February.