The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO’s) largest rocket LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark III) successfully placed 36 OneWeb satellites into a 450-kilometre circular orbit with an inclination of 87.4 degrees, as part of the LVM3-M3 Mission.
The vehicle took off with a total payload of 5,805 kg from the second launch pad at SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota. It achieved satellite injection conditions in about 17 minutes and began injecting the satellites from the twentieth minute.
The C25 stage performed a sophisticated maneuver to repeatedly orient itself in orthogonal directions and inject satellites into precise orbits with defined time-gaps to avoid collision of the satellites. 36 satellites were separated in 9 phases, in a batch of 4. OneWeb confirmed the acquisition of signals from all 36 satellites.
With this, NSIL has successfully executed its contract to launch 72 satellites of OneWeb to Low Earth Orbit.
This mission marked OneWeb’s second satellite deployment from India, highlighting the strong partnership with NSIL and ISRO. It was OneWeb’s 18th launch bringing the total of OneWeb’s constellation to 618 satellites.
Source: https://www.isro.gov.in/
