The latest batch of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites built by OneWeb, the UK-based satellite operator backed by Bharti Enterprises, arrived in India on Tuesday. The satellites will be launched aboard the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)-MkIII rocket from Sriharikota in the coming weeks.
In April, the UK-based company said it would launch a few of the last satellites that would form part of its global communications network in collaboration with ISRO. The announcement had come following the escalation of geopolitical conflicts between Russia and Ukraine. Russia had taken 36 spacecraft of the British satellite start-up hostage indefinitely earlier this year, which contributed to a $229-million loss to OneWeb's annual accounting.
Last year in October, OneWeb and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) signed a non-binding letter of intent (LoI) to use ISRO’s launch services for deploying its satellites. The satellites were slated to be launched in 2022, which is now expected to happen in the coming weeks.
After the launch from ISRO, OneWeb will conduct another launch by end of this year and three more in the next year.
This will be the first commercial launch for ISRO using the space agency’s GSLV launcher ever since it started assigning commercial contracts under the public sector undertaking NSIL. The NSIL was established in 2019 to aid the commercial aspects of ISRO's launches. Earlier this year, NSIL successfully launched satellites built by Indian start-ups Dhruva Space and Digantara.
Despite the GSLV being India’s heaviest capacity satellite launcher, ISRO has largely used the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) launcher for commercial operations.
“Undertaking the launch of 36 OneWeb satellites onboard GSLV-MkIII from India is a historic moment for NSIL and ISRO,” Radhakrishnan D, chairman and managing director of NSIL, said in a statement.
The NSIL was excited to see the arrival of the satellites and the ground support equipment in India prior to the launch, he said.
With this launch, OneWeb will have over 70 percent of its planned Gen 1 LEO constellation in orbit that will help in delivering high-speed, low-latency connectivity services around the world. The upcoming launch will also be pivotal for India as Bharti Enterprises, a major investor and shareholder in OneWeb, has announced a distribution partnership with Hughes Communications India Private Ltd this year. The launch will bridge the digital divide across India by connecting towns, villages, and local and regional municipalities.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
