The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is getting ready to launch 36 OneWeb satellites with its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk III (GSLV MkIII) rocket by the end of this month. This will be the first time an Indian rocket will transport a payload weighing approximately six tonnes.
The final launch date of ISRO’s third major mission this year has yet to be confirmed.
The GSLV MkIII is a three-stage rocket with a solid-fuel first stage, a liquid-fuel second stage, and a cryogenic engine in the third stage, and this is its first commercial launch. It was designed to carry four tonne satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) and about ten tonnes to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with a lift-off mass of 640 tonnes (LEO). This is also the first time the GSLV MkIII or its variants have been used to launch satellites into low-Earth orbit.
These 36 satellites have already passed a health inspection and have been integrated with the dispenser unit. The cryogenic stage will now be stacked on the second stage, and the heat shield or payload fairing will be integrated with the 36 satellites, according to ISRO.
ISRO also stated that two solid fuel fired booster motors have been strapped onto the liquid fuel powered second stage at the rocket port at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota’s second launch pad.
The commercial arm of ISRO, NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), has signed two contracts with OneWeb for the launch of broadband communication satellites in low earth orbit. OneWeb plans to launch another 36 satellites into orbit in January 2023.
OneWeb is using an Indian rocket for the first time to launch satellites into orbit, and with this launch, they will have more than 70% of their planned Gen 1 LEO constellation in orbit. The company is a joint venture between India Bharti Global and the UK government, and it intends to have a constellation of 650 satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO) to provide communication services.