In a historic first, India is all set to launch 36 broadband communication satellites on board its heaviest rocket launcher vehicle named LVM3-M2 in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch satellites of London-based OneWeb from Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh.
It will be the first satellite launch by ISRO’s commercial wing NewSpace India Limited (NSIL). It is also the first flight of LVM3 to low-earth orbit (LEO).
The mission is being undertaken as part of the commercial arrangement between NSIL and Network Access Associates Ltd (OneWeb Ltd), the agency said.
It is the first time that LMV-3 will be carrying more than 5 tonnes of payload to LEO. In this mission, the rocket will carry more than 5,700 kgs of satellites.
The 43.5-metre rocket will lift-off from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 12:07 am on Sunday.
“With this launch, LVM3 is making its entry into the global commercial launch service market,” ISRO said.
The UK-based satellite company plans to make a constellation of 650 satellites in LEO to offer global communications services. Sunday’s launch will take the number of OneWeb’s constellation to 462, more than 70 per cent of the satellites needed for the company to provide satellite-based internet services across the globe.
The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)-MK III has been renamed as launch vehicle mark 3 (LVM3) by ISRO because it can carry 8,000 kgs of payloads into LEO and 4,000 kg of satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).
ISRO has successfully carried out four missions in the past with the GSLV-Mk III, including Chandrayaan-2.
As per news reports, ISRO has placed as many as 345 foreign satellites into orbit since 1999. This number will rise up to 381 if ISRO’s latest launch is successful.
OneWeb, which has telecom major Airtel as a major stakeholder, has a goal of completing three more missions next year with the next one in January to complete its constellation.