Aerospace
Countdown for historic launch of Isro’s heaviest rocket begins
Rocket will carry for the first time commercial satellites as the primary cargo weighing over 5,400kg
On Saturday at 12:07 a.m., the countdown for the historic launch of Isro-largest NSIL’s rocket, the GSLV MkIII (LVM-3), which will carry for the first time commercial satellites as the primary cargo weighing over 5,400kg, began. OneWeb, a global satcom business, is planning to launch 36 tiny broadband communication satellites with the help of Bharti-Airtel during the night in between Saturday and Sunday at 12.07 am.
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The rocket and satellite systems will be examined during the countdown. The rocket’s fuel will also be filled. India typically uses the GSLV rocket to launch its geostationary communication satellites. It was given the name Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle as a result (GSLV). The third generation rocket is referred to as GSLV MkIII.
In order to provide communication services, the satellite company intends to build a constellation of 650 satellites in LEO. With this launch, OneWeb will have 462 satellites in its constellation, which is more than 70% of what is needed to provide satellite-based internet access globally.
The satellite-based internet service will be offered in India by Bharti, a significant OneWeb shareholder, through a distribution agreement with Hughes Communications.
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Two contracts for the launch of the broadband satellites in LEO have been signed with OneWeb by the commercial arm of Isro, NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL). The OneWeb satellites had previously been sent into orbit by Russian rockets from the Baikonur spaceport. OneWeb opted to switch to using Isro rockets for the launches in protest against the Ukraine war rather than continuing to use Russia’s launch services.
