ISRO to launch OneWeb satellites by end-October

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that it will launch a batch of satellites for UK-based satellite operator, OneWeb, before the end of this month. Announced earlier today, ISRO said that it has two launch contracts signed with OneWeb, and the first of the two will see the launch of 36 OneWeb satellites by the third or fourth week of this month.

On September 20, OneWeb announced the arrival of the latest batch of its satellites in India, tipping them for an impending launch. The satellites will form a part of OneWeb’s constellation of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites — which will orbit the planet in a relay chain, and offer internet connectivity to enterprises and areas that are difficult to reach for terrestrial networks.

OneWeb, backed by Indian telecom operator Airtel’s holding group, Bharti Enterprises, is one among the likes of SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper, as well as joint ventures such as fellow Indian telco Reliance Jio and Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES, and Indian satellite service provider Nelco and Canadian service provider, Telesat.

These companies are all vying for a share of a burgeoning market for satellite-based internet connectivity, which is expected to aid enterprises in adding capacity for real-time analytics, data processing and other aspects in sectors such as agriculture, forestry, mining and surveillance.

While a specific launch date is yet to be announced, ISRO stated that the launch will take place aboard the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk.III — the space agency’s heaviest and highest capacity rocket. This will be the first instance when a commercial space launch contract operated by the public-sector entity New Space India Limited (NSIL) will be executed by the GSLV — which has so far largely been used for research purposes, or under direct ISRO purview.

ISRO typically uses its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) for most commercial launches so far, while the upcoming Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) is expected to become the bulk satellite launcher in the future. However, the first demonstrator mission for the SSLV, which industry experts said, was the first of at least three such launches, did not lead to a successful mission since the launcher failed to deploy its satellite payload in the intended orbit above Earth.

The launch will mark the latest commercial endeavour by India, which has seen NSIL offer commercial launch services through ISRO — as the country’s fledgling private space sector works towards conducting its first trials. Eventually, such projects would contribute towards increasing India’s market share in the global space industry, which stands only at 2% at present.