Context:- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 26 March successfully launched India’s largest Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3) rocket/OneWeb India-2 Mission with 36 satellites onboard from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
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An overview of the news
- The LVM-III will deploy 36 satellites of the UK-based Network Access Associated Ltd (OneWeb) to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
- The OneWeb Group Company has inked a contract with ISRO’s commercial arm NewSpace India Ltd to launch 72 satellites into LEO.
- The first satellite deployment collaboration between the two organisations took place in October 2022 with ISRO launching 36 satellites of OneWeb.
- In the second mission on 26 March, the remaining 36 satellites, each weighing approximately 5805 kg, were placed into a circular low Earth orbit of 450 km by the LVM3 M3 launch vehicle.
- LVM3 had five consecutive successful missions including the Chandrayaan 2 mission.
About OneWeb
- OneWeb is a global communication network powered from space, enabling connectivity for governments and businesses.
- Bharti Enterprises is a major investor in OneWeb group.
- After the SSLV-D2/EOS07 mission in February, the OneWeb India-2 Mission is ISRO’s second successful launch this year.
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
- It was established on 15 August 1969.
- It is the national space agency of India. It launches its space rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
- Headquarter: Bengaluru
- Chairman:S Somnath
