The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has congratulated Indian space agencies/organizations viz, NSIL, IN-SPACe and ISRO on the successful launch of heaviest vehicle LVM3 with 36 OneWeb satellites into orbit. Isro’s heaviest rocket LVM3 entered the global space service market with the latest launch of 36 broadband satellites. The launch is one of the biggest commercial orders by India’s premier space organisation, and the first using the LVM3 rocket. This is the 14th launch of OneWeb, and the second this year.
The Prime Minister tweeted;
“Congratulations @NSIL_India @INSPACeIND @ISRO on the successful launch of our heaviest launch vehicle LVM3 with 36 OneWeb satellites meant for global connectivity. LVM3 exemplifies Atmanirbharta & enhances India’s competitive edge in the global commercial launch service market.”
Congratulations @NSIL_India @INSPACeIND @ISRO on the successful launch of our heaviest launch vehicle LVM3 with 36 OneWeb satellites meant for global connectivity. LVM3 exemplifies Atmanirbharta & enhances India’s competitive edge in the global commercial launch service market.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 23, 2022
This brings the total number of satellites in OneWeb’s constellation to 462. There are only four launches left before OneWeb activates its global coverage by 2023, with connectivity solutions already operational in regions north of 50 degrees latitude. OneWeb’s mission is to improve connectivity in India, and it is supported by Bharti Global, the company’s largest investor.
“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. This launch with ISRO and NSIL opens up the space sector in India with the possibility of billions of dollars flowing into the country,” Sunil Bharti Mittal, Bharti Enterprises CEO, and Executive Chairman of OneWeb.
The LVM3 launch vehicle, which was built entirely in India, completed four consecutive successful missions, including the critical Chandrayaan-2 mission. As part of the human rating for the Gaganyaan program, the vehicle underwent several critical tests. The cryo stage was specially designed to orient and re-orient satellites in an orthogonal direction in order to meet the customer’s requirement of injecting satellites precisely and with a gap to avoid collision. To meet the user’s deadline, the vehicle was built in a short period of time on a demand-driven basis.
Source:PIB,BT