36 One Web satellites: Countdown begins for ISRO's historic rocket launch

The LVM3-M2 mission is a dedicated commercial mission for a foreign customer OneWeb, through NSIL. It is the first multi-satellite mission with 36 OneWeb Satellites to the LEO as the heaviest Payload mass of 5,796 kg. of LVM3 till date.

Salient features of the Mission

• First Commercial Mission of LVM3

• First Multi-Satellite mission with 36 OneWeb Satellites onboard

• First launch of LVM3 to LEO

• First Indian rocket with six ton payload

• First NSIL Mission with LVM3

• First OneWeb Mission with NSIL/DoS

Technical Highlights:

• Handling of multiple satellite separation events

• Increased nominal mission duration

• Ensuring safe separation distance through C25 stage re-orientation and velocity addition

• Ensuring data availability for entire mission duration

• Realization of New payload adaptor and interface ring for the satellites dispenser

OneWeb Constellation Summary:

• OneWeb Constellation operates in a LEO Polar Orbit

• Satellites are arranged in 12 rings (Orbital planes) with 49 satellites in each plane.

• The orbital planes are inclined to be near polar (87.9 Deg.)

• The orbital planes are 1200 km above the Earth

• Each satellite completes a full trip around the earth every 109 minutes.

• Theearth is rotating underneath satellites, so they will always be flying over new locations on the ground.

• In full service, each plane will have 49 satellites = 588 Satellites.

The 43.5 metre tall and weighing 644 ton LVM3 M2 rocket is scheduled to blast off from the first second pad at India's rocket port in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh at 12.07 a.m. on Sunday.

The countdown is in progress smoothly. The gas charging and propellant filling operations of L110 stage are progressing," an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) official told IANS.

During the countdown, the rocket and satellite systems will be checked. The fuel for the rocket will also be filled.

Normally the GSLV rocket is used for launching India's geostationary communication satellites. And hence it was named as GeoSynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). The GSLV MkIII refers to the third generation rocket.