The Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman S Somanath on February 17 said that the space agency is planning to launch a second batch of 36 OneWeb satellites in March. In October 2022, ISRO had successfully launched the first batch of 36 satellites by OneWeb from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
S Somanath was speaking after the successful launch of ISRO’S Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) D2. He said that the year 2023 will see new developments and activities, specifically leading to the Gaganyaan programme.
The OneWeb communications satellites will be launched by ISRO’S Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3) rocket. A batch of its 36 satellites reached India on February 16 from the US for their launch in the middle of March, the UK-based satellite communications company said in a statement. ISRO said on Saturday that it is in the final stages of preparing its heaviest rocket for the launch. ISRO’S LVM3 rocket is capable of launching a four-tonne class of satellites to geosynchronous transfer orbit. It is a three-stage vehicle with two solid motor strapons, a liquid propellant core stage, and a cryogenic stage. The OneWeb satellites will be placed in orbit at an altitude of 1,200 km above the earth’s surface.
