36 OneWeb satellites integrated, Isro to launch constellation on GSLVMk-III this month

The Indian Space Research Organisation is set to launch 36 satellites, part f a constellation by OneWeb in the final weeks of this month. The satellites have been integrated into the fairing of the rocket, which will carry them into Low Earth Orbit for deployment.

"Exciting news from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre as we confirm the successful integration of all 36 satellites to our dispenser for OneWeb Launch 14," the company said in a tweet. The satellites will be launched onboard the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III (GSLVMk-III).

The rocket will liftoff at the end of this month from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on a journey to deploy the internet constellation. Isro is yet to say anything on the final launch date for the mission, which will be the third big mission for the Indian space agency this year.

Exciting news from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre as we confirm the successful integration of all 36 satellites to our dispenser for #OneWebLaunch14.

Thanks again to our colleagues at @Arianespace, @BeyondGravity_S and @isro for their support toward this major milestone. pic.twitter.com/8jwDXVvVF9 — OneWeb (@OneWeb) October 3, 2022

Isro is currently integrating the GSLV, which will later be mated with the launch fairing that will carry the satellites. The lift-off is expected to happen late in the night in the final weeks of the month.

The satellites arrived in India late last month after which work on their integration has been ongoing. The company in a release said that with this launch, OneWeb will have more than 70 per cent of its planned Gen 1 Low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation in orbit as it progresses to deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity services around the world.

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The launch will be the company's 14th mission to deploy these satellites into orbit.

Radhakrishnan D, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, NewSpace India Limited had said that undertaking the launch of 36 OneWeb satellites onboard GSLV-MkIII from India is a historic moment for NSIL and Isro. We are excited to see the arrival of the satellites and the ground support equipment in India in preparation for the launch.

NSIL has signed two launch contracts with OneWebb for deploying the broadband satellite constellation. The October launch will be the first commercial launch for GSLV-MkIII, which was previously used to launch the ambitious Chandrayaan-2 mission to the Moon.

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