NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) successfully launched 36 of OneWeb’s low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR) in Sriharikota, India.
OneWeb’s satellites separated successfully from the rocket and were dispensed in nine phases over a period of 1 hour and 14 minutes, with signal acquisition on all 36 satellites confirmed.
This is OneWeb’s 18th launch, its third this year, bringing the total of OneWeb’s constellation to 618 satellites.
The OneWeb constellation design calls for 588 satellites for global coverage and additional satellites are planned for resiliency and redundancy.
OneWeb said it plans to launch global coverage services soon, with full global coverage by the end of the year.
Sunil Bharti Mittal, Executive Chairman of OneWeb, said: “In my work I have seen the power of connectivity to bring benefits to all, wherever they are. Yet half the world’s population does not have access to fast, reliable connectivity. Today’s launch represents a major step towards closing the digital divide. OneWeb’s global constellation will play a pivotal role in realising this dream.
“I am particularly proud that OneWeb has crossed the threshold to be able to provide its global coverage in India, a country whose ambitions in enhancing Space-based connectivity are being driven by New Space India and ISRO. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Government of India’s target to significantly expand access to high-speed internet connectivity is vital, and OneWeb is grateful for all the support and is delighted to be playing its part. Overall, this is an incredibly exciting time for the satellite connectivity industry, and I am delighted that the UK and India are at the forefront of developments.”
Shri. Somanath S, Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, ISRO, commented: “This launch is very important milestone for ISRO as we demonstrated the successful launch of second consecutive commercial payload of OneWeb. This valued customer trusted our capability and we have proved it in a very short span of time. This launch has created a new record in the Indian space history. With this launch of LVM3, through the New Space India Ltd, ISRO is confident of handling many more such launches on demand for both LEO and GEO mission in the future. I wish OneWeb a great success in globalizing the completed constellation.
