LVM3 exemplifies Atmanirbharta: PM Modi congratulates ISRO on successful launch of its heaviest vehicle

ISRO's heaviest rocket LVM3-M2 on its maiden commercial mission on Sunday successfully placed 36 broadband communication satellites into the intended orbits.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (October 23, 2022) congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) after its heaviest rocket -- LVM3 -- successfully placed 36 broadband communication satellites of a UK-based customer into the intended orbits. In a tweet, PM Modi also congratulated NSIL and IN-SPACe on the successful launch of the heaviest vehicle.

"Congratulations @NSIL_India @INSPACeIND @ISRO on the successful launch of our heaviest launch vehicle LVM3 with 36 OneWeb satellites meant for global connectivity. LVM3 exemplifies Atmanirbharta & enhances India's competitive edge in the global commercial launch service market," he said.

Congratulations @NSIL_India @INSPACeIND @ISRO on the successful launch of our heaviest launch vehicle LVM3 with 36 OneWeb satellites meant for global connectivity. LVM3 exemplifies Atmanirbharta & enhances India’s competitive edge in the global commercial launch service market. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 23, 2022

OneWeb Ltd is the UK-based customer of NSIL, ISRO's commercial arm, and a global communication network powered from space, enabling internet connectivity for governments and businesses. Bharti Enterprises is one of the major investors in OneWeb.

Earlier in the day, all 36 satellites were injected into the orbits around 75 minutes after the rocket blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing the gathering at the Mission Control Centre, ISRO Chairman S Somanath said the festival celebrations started at Satish Dhawan Space Centre as LVM3 and its very first commercial mission have accomplished the orbit very accurately.

Former ISRO chiefs K Sivan and AS Kiran Kumar and Bharti Enterprises founder-chairman Sunil Mittal were among those who witnessed the launch from the Mission Control Centre.

Terming the mission 'historic', Somanath, also the Secretary, Department of Space credited Prime Minister Modi's support for the mission's success.

Earlier, at the end of the 24-hour countdown, the 43.5-metre tall rocket soared majestically in a prefixed time at 12.07 am on Sunday from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The vehicle is also dubbed as one of the heaviest for its ability to carry satellites up to 8,000 kg.

With Sunday's success, ISRO put behind the anomaly experienced in its August 7 Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) mission, which had then made the satellites unusable.

Sunday's mission also marks several key milestones as the LVM3-M2 mission is the maiden dedicated commercial mission for the launch vehicle.

According to ISRO, the vehicle carried the heaviest payload with 36 satellites of OneWeb, becoming the first Indian rocket with a payload of 5,796 kg.

The launch is also the first for LVM3-M2 to place the satellites in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO-up to 1,200 km above the Earth) unlike Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).

ISRO scientists had renamed the launch vehicle as LVM3-M2 from GSLV-Mk III as the newest rocket is capable of launching 4,000 kilograms class of satellites into GTO and 8,000 kg of payloads into LEO.

The LVM3-M2 mission would give a fillip to the space agency with the new launch vehicle set to place satellites into the low earth orbit, along with ISRO's trusted workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

The rocket is a three-stage launch vehicle consisting of two solid propellants S200 strap-ons on its sides and a core stage comprising the L110 liquid stage and C25 cryogenic stage.

OneWeb is implementing a constellation of 648 satellites in the Low Earth Orbit. While 36 satellites were launched on Sunday, another batch of satellites was expected to be placed in orbit by early 2023.

(With agency inputs)