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India's Bharti Enterprises has become the first major Indian telco to offer terrestrial and satellite broadband services following the successful launch of OneWeb's second mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). With a 40% stake, Bharti is the largest shareholder in the UK-based company. The mission completes OneWeb's network of more than 600 satellites for providing global broadband connectivity. The Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3)-OneWeb India-2 mission deployed OneWeb's low earth orbit (LEO) constellation, comprising 618 satellites, to provide global coverage. The satellites were placed in a 450km circular orbit with an inclination of 87.4 degrees.
This was the second mission operated by ISRO for OneWeb's subsidiary Network Access Associates under a commercial agreement with NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL) to launch 72 satellites into LEO. NSIL is ISRO's commercial arm. The LVM-3 is a repurposed version of India's heaviest launch vehicle, Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (GSLV-Mk3), for the deployment of OneWeb's LEO satellites at an altitude of 1,200 km.
Chairman of NSIL, Radhakrishnan Durairaj, said the cryogenic stage was used for the complex manoeuvre required to meet OneWeb's needs. This was the sixth flight of LVM3 and had five consecutive successful missions, including the Chandrayaan-2 mission. Chairman of ISRO & Secretary Department of Space, Sreedhara Panicker Somanath, congratulated his team on a successful launch and said, "We look forward to greater engagement with our commercial partners for making this rocket one of the best in its class."
Founder & Chairperson of Bharti Enterprises and Executive Chairperson, Sunil Bharti Mittal, said, "Today's launch represents a major step towards closing the digital divide," adding that OneWeb had crossed the threshold to provide global coverage in India. The Director General of the Indian Space Association (ISpA), Lt Gen. (Retd) AK Bhatt, agreed with Mittal and said the launch would help to bridge the digital divide by addressing the issue of low fixed band penetration in the country's remotest areas.
The successful deployment of OneWeb's LEO constellation is a significant milestone for India to benefit from the remarkable capabilities of LEO connectivity and the spread of space-based internet, according to Bhatt. The 150-kilogram satellites were deployed in 12 planes separated by a 4 km altitude to prevent a collision. Four satellites were ejected sequentially in nine steps.
