ISRO launches LVM3-M3/Oneweb India-2 Mission in Sriharikota: For the sixth time in a row, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched its heaviest rocket, LVM3, from the Sriharikota spaceport. The rocket successfully placed 36 satellites belonging to the UK-based OneWeb group company into their intended orbits.
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More About The ISRO’s OneWeb Satellite Launch:
Following a 24.5-hour countdown, the launch took place at 9 a.m. from the second launch pad located approximately 135 kilometres away from Chennai. This marks the 18th launch for the OneWeb Group, while it is ISRO’s second mission of 2023, with the SSLV/D2-EOS07 mission in February being the first.
Significance of This launch:
The upcoming launch will be the 18th for OneWeb, and it will expand the UK-based company’s existing constellation of 582 satellites.
According to the contract signed between ISRO’s commercial arm NSIL and OneWeb, 72 satellites will be launched in two phases. The LVM3-M2/OneWeb India-1 mission successfully launched the first phase, which included 36 satellites, on October 23, 2022. This marks the second OneWeb fleet that India is launching, paving the way for the country’s foray into the commercial heavy lift-off space.
About OneWeb Constellation:
The OneWeb Constellation operates in a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Polar Orbit, where the satellites are arranged in 12 rings, also known as orbital planes.
Each orbital plane consists of 49 satellites, and they are inclined to be near-polar at an inclination of 87.9 degrees.
The satellites are orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 1200 kilometres above the surface, with each satellite completing a full orbit every 109 minutes.
