INDIA: ISRO’s (Indian Space Research Organisation) ambitious LVM3 M2 mission is planned to carry 36 OneWeb satellites to Low Earth Orbit (LEO). A Low Earth Orbit is an orbit whose altitude is 2000 kilometers or less from the Earth. Spacecrafts in LEO have an orbital period of 128 minutes or less.
The LVM3 M2 mission is the first to be commissioned through NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), which is the nodal agency for Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) production through Indian Industry under the consortium route.
ISRO is set to launch OneWeb satellites
The launch will witness the heaviest Payload mass so far at 5,796 kilograms. This will be the first commercial mission of the LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark 3), which is a three-stage launch vehicle with two solid motor strap-ons, a liquid propellant core stage, and a cryogenic stage.
The rocket is capable of launching 4-tonne class satellites into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. The launch is also set to be the first instance of an LVM3 to a Low Earth Orbit.
The technical highlight of the launch will be the handling of multiple satellite separation events in orbit. A safe separation distance of the satellites will be ensured through C25 stage re-orientation and velocity addition. Data availability for the entire mission duration is also ensured. A New payload adaptor and interface ring for the satellite dispenser will also be tested in operation for the first time.
OneWeb is a private satellite communications company that aims to build broadband satellite internet services. Based in London, the company has offices in Virginia, the USA, and a satellite manufacturing facility in Florida, which is a joint venture with Airbus Defence and Space.
The OneWeb satellite constellation is a planned 648-satellite internet constellation to provide global broadband internet services by 2023. The constellation operated in an LEO Polar Orbit. The satellites are arranged in 12 rings or orbital planes with 49 satellites in each. The orbital planes are inclined to be near polar, i.e., 87.9°. Each satellite will complete a full trip around the Earth every 109 minutes.
The first batch of OneWeb satellite constellations was launched in February 2019 with 6 satellites. The first large batch of 34 satellites was launched in February 2020, and a further 34 were put into orbit a month later in March.
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