The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) heaviest launch vehicle, LVM-3 (Launch Vehicle Mark 3), has recently completed its second commercial launch. The mission launched a fleet of 36 OneWeb satellites and marked the completion of the first generation of the large broadband constellation.
Understanding the LVM3-M3/OneWeb India-2 Mission
This recent launch marked the 18th mission carried out by OneWeb, a UK-based company. Prior to this mission, OneWeb already had a constellation of 582 satellites. ISRO’s commercial arm, NSIL, signed a contract with OneWeb to launch 72 satellites across two phases. The first 36 were launched during the LVM3-M2/OneWeb India-1 mission on October 23, 2022. This latest launch marks the second OneWeb fleet that India has contributed to and signifies India’s steps into commercial heavy liftoff space.
Exploring OneWeb Constellation
OneWeb Constellation operates within a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Polar Orbit, with satellites arranged in 12 rings or orbital planes. Each plane has 49 satellites each, and they are inclined to be near polar at approximately 87.9 degrees. These orbital planes are positioned 1200 km above Earth, with each satellite completing a full orbit every 109 minutes.
This constellation already provides connectivity solutions across the globe and continues to bring new regions online. The high-speed, low-latency solutions serve communities, enterprises, and governments worldwide, highlighting the potential of LEO connectivity.
Launch Vehicles Developed by ISRO
ISRO has developed a series of launch vehicles over the years:
– Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV): This was the first rocket developed by ISRO, capable of carrying small satellites up to 150 kg into lower earth orbits.
– Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV): This was an upgraded version of the SLV, operating until the early 1990s.
– Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV): PSLV first launched in 1994 and has been ISRO’s primary rocket since. Today’s PSLV is significantly more powerful with liquid stages, having launched successful missions like Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and Mars Orbiter Spacecraft in 2013.
– Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV): GSLV is designed to carry heavier satellites to deeper space. GSLV rockets have completed 18 missions, with four ending in failure. The development of the Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) made GSLV Mk II self-sufficient, enabling India to stop relying on the European Arianne launch vehicle.
ISRO later renamed GSLV Mark-III as Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3), marking its ability to go everywhere —GEO, MEO, LEO, and even on missions to the moon and sun.
The article’s information should help UPSC Civil Service aspirants answer questions related to India’s satellite launch vehicles, like the one asked in the 2018 exam: “PSLVs launch the satellites useful for Earth resources monitoring whereas GSLVs are designed mainly to launch communication satellites.” The correct answer to this statement is “(a) 1 only”.
