LVM3 M2 / OneWeb India-1 Mission: Five major takeaways from ISRO’s flagship LVM3 M2/OneWeb India-1 Mission

Indraneel Chakrabarty: The commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), which is also a CPSE under the Department of Space, together with M/s Network Access Associated Limited (M/s OneWeb), United Kingdom, has signed two launch service contracts for launching OneWeb LEO Broadband Communication Satellites on board ISRO’s heaviest launcher LVM3

ISRO issued a statement wherein it mentions that it is a historic milestone for both itself and NSIL, as the LVM3 is making its entry into the global commercial launch service market. As part of the contract, 36 satellites will be placed into orbit by one LVM3 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre. Essaying a critical role in bridging India’s digital divide, OneWeb will connect the local and regional municipalities, as well as towns, and villages, which are located in testing and remotely accessible areas.

NewSpace India Limited’s CMD, Radhakrishnan D, says that undertaking the launch of 36 OneWeb satellites on board the GSLV-MkIII from India is a ‘historic moment’ for both ISRO and NSIL. He added, “We are excited to see the arrival of the satellites and the ground support equipment in India in preparation for the launch.” In this article, The Quotes has listed out five major talking points of the highly-anticipated project. 

Post the successful completion of health checks, the assembly stands ready for the integration of 36 OneWeb satellites with the dispenser unit. 

In the days to come, the integration of the cryogenic upper stage of the launch vehicle and the integration of payload fairing with the thirty-six satellites will be taking place. 

The launch is nominally expected during either the third or fourth week of October 2022, which will be based on the success-oriented schedule for the remaining activities.

This year, one of OneWeb's major investor-cum-shareholder - Bharti Enterprises - announced a distribution partnership with Hughes Communications India Pvt. Ltd. (HCIPL). 

Jio Satellite Communications Ltd (JSCL), Reliance Jio Infocomm's satellite unit, received a Letter of Intent (LoI) earlier this month from the telecom department for satellite communication services.