Hummingbird News Desk
SRIHARIKOTA, 23 OCT: The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) heaviest rocket Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM 3 or GSLV Mark 3) which took off from the second launch pad (SLP) of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota at 12.07 a.m. (IST) has successfully orbited 36 satellites of U.K.-based OneWeb.
This is OneWeb’s 14th launch, bringing the constellation to 462 satellites. This launch represents more than 70% of its planned 648 Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite fleet that will deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity worldwide.
The 43.5 metre LVM3 weighing around 644 tonne carried 36 satellites weighing 5,796 kg or about 5.7 tonne. With this launch, LVM3 has made its entry into the global commercial launch service market.
LVM3-M2 is the dedicated commercial satellite mission of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Department of Space, Government of India. This mission is being undertaken as part of the commercial arrangement between NSIL and m/s Network Access Associates Limited (m/s OneWeb Ltd), a U.K. based company. OneWeb is a joint venture between India’s Bharti Enterprises and the U.K. government.
Meanwhile, an agency report quoted a top official said the Indian space agency is having a busy launch schedule next year that includes commercial, navigation, sun and moon missions.
Speaking to the reporters here Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S. Somanath said integration tests are happening with regard to the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, the agency reported.
He said the space agency will look at June 2023 for the moon mission.
The ISRO is also planning to have its mission to the sun with its satellite Aditya-L1, a coronagraphy spacecraft to study the solar atmosphere, an official told the agency.
According to ISRO, the spacecraft will be placed in a halo orbit around the first Lagrange point, L1, of the Sun-Earth system. A satellite around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without occultation/eclipses.
The ISRO will open 2023 with the commercial launch of 36 satellites of the UK-based OneWeb, said its Chairman S. Somanath.
The first batch of 36 satellites was successfully launched on Sunday.
Tags: #ISRO #36Satellites #OneWeb #UK #MSLVMark3
