Bharti-backed OneWeb to launch 36 satellites from Sriharikota using ISRO rocket

The world record now stands at 319 terabits per second over a distance of approximately 3000 kilometres

Bharti Enterprises-backed OneWeb, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company, said on September 20 it will launch 36 satellites from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, an island in Andhra Pradesh.

With this launch, the company will have 70 per cent of its Gen 1 LEO constellation in orbit, which aims to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband-from-space services.

A statement by the company said that OneWeb will connect "hardest-to-reach areas, thus playing a critical role in bridging the digital divide across India".

In April 2022, according to a report by PTI, Department of Telecommunicatons issued a letter of intent to OneWeb for providing broadband-from-space services in the country.

Earlier, OneWeb had suspended its launches from Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Reuters had reported.

To facilitate this launch, OneWeb partnered with NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), the commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

This will be the company's 14th launch and the satellites will be put into orbit by ISRO's heaviest rocket, the GSLV-MkIII.

One additional launch will take place this year and three more are targeted for early next year to complete the constellation, a release by the company said.

Earlier in the year, Bharti Enterprises, a major investor and shareholder in London-headquartered OneWeb, announced a distribution partnership with Hughes Communications India Private Ltd.

Radhakrishnan D, chairman-cum-managing director, NSIL, said, “We are excited to see the arrival of the satellites and ground support equipment in India in preparation for the launch.

"Teams at NSIL/ISRO are working towards providing the best of launch service solutions and support for OneWeb satellites..." he added.