The most substantial rocket from the Indian Space Research Organisation, the LVM3-M2/OneWeb India-1, lifted off from the spaceport on Sunday. Its mission was to deploy 36 broadband communication satellites into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for a UK-based customer. NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a central public sector enterprise under the Department of Space, had previously inked two launch service contracts with the London-based Network Access Associated Limited (OneWeb) to launch OneWeb LEO satellites using ISRO’s LVM3.
OneWeb, a private satellite communications company, has significant investment and shareholding from India’s Bharti Enterprises. The 43.5-meter-tall rocket took off at 12:07 am from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre’s second launch pad, concluding a 24-hour countdown. This mission marked the inaugural commercial journey for LVM3 and NSIL’s first with this launch vehicle. ISRO noted that the mission set a record with the heaviest payloads, carrying 36 OneWeb satellites, making it the first Indian rocket with a 5,796 kg payload.
Notably, this launch deviated from previous patterns as LVM3-M2 placed the satellites in Low Earth Orbit (up to 1,200 km above the Earth), departing from the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). ISRO scientists renamed the launch vehicle from GSLV-Mk III to its present name, signifying its capability to launch 4,000-kilogram class satellites into GTO and 8,000 kg payloads into LEO.
GSLV-Mk III had accomplished four successful missions previously. The LVM3-M2, a three-stage launch vehicle, includes two solid propellant S200 strap-ons, a core stage with L110 liquid stage, and a C25 cryogenic stage. OneWeb Ltd operates as a global communication network from space, facilitating internet connectivity for governments and businesses.
