Countdown begins for launch of GSLV MkIII
The countdown for the historic launch of Isro-NSIL’s heaviest rocket GSLV MkIII (LVM-3) that will carry for the first time commercial satellites as the primary load weighing over 5,400kg began at 12.07 am on Saturday.
The launch of 36 small broadband communication satellites of global satcom company OneWeb, supported by Bharti-Airtel, is scheduled at 12.07 am on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.
The launch is historic as it is the first commercial launch of LVM-3 when it will for the first time carry a weight of over 5 tonne and place satellites in the low earth orbit (LEO), also for the first time, GSLVMKIII has a carrying capacity of 10 tonnes to the LEO and 4 tonnes to the Geo Transfer Orbit (GTO).
The satellite company plans to have a constellation of 650 satellites in LEO to offer communication services. This launch will bring OneWeb’s constellation to 462 satellites, over 70% of the satellites required for OneWeb to reach global coverage for providing satellite-based internet service.