A Historic Milestone in Space Science: India All Set To Enter the Global Commercial Launch Service Market

India All Set To Enter the Global Commercial Launch Service Market in Space Science

Under the OneWeb India-1 mission, 36 satellites will be launched onboard ISRO’s heaviest launcher LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark 3 or GSLV Mk III) in the second half of October 2022

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New Space India Limited (NSIL), a commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO) and a Central Public Sector Enterprise(CPSE) under the Department of Space is all set to launch 36 OneWeb satellites. Under the OneWeb India-1 mission, these satellites will be launched onboard ISRO’s heaviest launcher LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark 3 or GSLV Mk III) in the second half of October 2022.

ISRO to launch 36 satellites of OneWeb onboard LVM3, nominally during the second half of Oct 2022. With this “LVM3 M2/ OneWeb India-1 Mission”, the 1st LVM3 dedicated commercial launch on demand through NSIL, LVM3 enters the Global commercial launch service market. @OneWeb pic.twitter.com/7vyvnRDPMW
— ISRO (@isro) October 6, 2022

Deal Agreement

NSIL has signed two launch service contracts with United Kingdom-based M/s network access Associated Limited (M/s OneWeb). Bharti Airtel is a major investor and shareholder in OneWeb, a global communications network, powered from space, enabling connectivity for governments, businesses, and communities.

According to a statement by the company, with its 14th overall launch, OneWeb will have over 70 percent of its planned ‘Gen 1 LEO constellation’ in orbit. It will also move towards the completion of its constellation of satellites to deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity services around the world.

Introducing OneWeb’s mission patch for Launch 14, taking place with @isro and @NSIL_India from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

This mission patch reflects Indian culture, its ethos, and its spirit of winning. We are proud to be building universal connections from India. pic.twitter.com/dGtGt5mzvn
— OneWeb (@OneWeb) September 30, 2022

The company in March this year had suspended all its launches from Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Launch Progressions Made So Far

The 36 Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) Broadband Communication satellites of OneWeb will be launched onboard ISRO’s launcher LVM3. The two-solid strap-on boosters and a liquid core stage of LVM3 have been fully integrated at the second launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

The integration of 36 OneWeb satellites has been successfully assembled with the dispenser unit after the completion of health checks.

Exciting news from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre as we confirm the successful integration of all 36 satellites to our dispenser for #OneWebLaunch14.

Thanks again to our colleagues at @Arianespace, @BeyondGravity_S and @isro for their support toward this major milestone. pic.twitter.com/8jwDXVvVF9
— OneWeb (@OneWeb) October 3, 2022

In the coming days, the cryogenic upper stage of the launch vehicle and the payload fairing will also be integrated with these communication satellites.

Way Ahead

The launch mission will be a historic move considering that it will be the first commercial launch of ISRO’s heaviest rocket GSLV MkIII, which for the first time will be carrying a payload of about six tonnes. Also, it will be the first time that the launcher GSLV MkIII or its variants have been used to launch satellites in LEO.

According to the Indian Space Agency, the launch under The OneWeb India-1 Mission will mark the entry of LVM3 into the global commercial launch service market.