36 OneWeb satellites will be launched on March 26: ISRO

Indian space agency on Monday said it will launch the 36 satellites of the UK-based Network Access Associated Ltd on March 26

Chennai: The Indian space agency on Monday said it will launch the 36 satellites of the UK-based Network Access Associated Ltd (OneWeb) on March 26 morning.

In a tweet, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said: “LVM3-M3/OneWeb India-2 mission: The launch is scheduled for March 26, 2023, at 0900 hours IST from the second launch pad at SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota”.

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The LVM3-M3 is ISRO’s heavy lift rocket.

OneWeb is backed by India’s telecom major Bharti Group and with the successful launch of the satellites on March 26, the company will complete the global footprint of its Gen 1 constellation.

OneWeb has 582 satellites now in orbit. On March 26, the total number is expected to go up to 618.

By completing the constellation, OneWeb is taking a pivotal step forward in delivering global coverage including India, the company had said.

The upcoming launch will be the 18th one for OneWeb.

The first batch of 36 satellites was launched on October 23, 2022 from Sriharikota rocket port in Andhra Pradesh with the LVM3 rocket formerly known as Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle MkIII (GSLV MkIII).

ISRO’s commercial arm, NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL) has signed a contract with OneWeb to launch 72 satellites in two phases for a launch fee of over Rs 1,000 crore, OneWeb Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal had said last October