ISRO to launch heaviest rocket LVM3 on 23 October
ISRO’s heaviest rocket LVM3 will launch British start-up OneWeb’s 36 broadband satellites from the spaceport in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on October 23, marking the launcher’s entry into the global commercial launch service market.
ISRO’s heaviest rocket LVM3 or Launch Vehicle Mark 3 was earlier called the GSLV Mk III or Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III.
The launch of ‘LVM3 – M2/OneWeb India-1 Mission’ is scheduled at 0007 hours IST on October 23 (midnight of October 22), the Bengaluru-headquartered Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.
“Cryo stage, equipment bay (EB) assembly completed. Satellites are encapsulated and assembled in the vehicle. Final vehicle checks are in progress,” it said.
Earlier this month, ISRO said that NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a central public sector enterprise (CPSE) under the Department of Space and the commercial arm of the space agency, had signed two launch service contracts with the UK-based Network Access Associates Limited (OneWeb) for launching OneWeb LEO (low earth orbit) broadband communication satellites on-board ISRO’s LVM3.
“It is the first LVM3-dedicated commercial launch on demand through NSIL,” ISRO had said.