OneWeb plans to build a cluster of 648 satellites in India to offer its broadband services worldwide
UK-based Network Access Associated Limited (OneWeb) will pay over Rs 1,000 crore to the Indian space agency to launch 72 of its satellites.
He also said that OneWeb’s merger with French satellite company Eutelsat Communications is likely to be completed around April-May 2023. OneWeb will be a 100% subsidiary of Eutelsat Communications.
OneWeb Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal told reporters here that the company will pay over Rs 1,000 crore to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)/NewSpace India Ltd for launching 72 satellites.
The first batch of 36 satellites will take off from ISRO’s rocket LVM3 at 12.07 pm on Sunday. OneWeb will also use another LVM3 rocket from ISRO to launch 36 satellites in January.
OneWeb plans to build a cluster of 648 satellites in India to offer its broadband services around the world.
“About 10 per cent of OneWeb’s satellites will be launched by ISRO,” said Shravan Mittal, Managing Director, Bharti Global.
Asked about the possibilities of sourcing its Gen2 satellites from ISRO, Sunil Mittal said that discussions are on. OneWeb will look at India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) to orbit some of its satellites as replacements in space.
When asked about any changes to the constellation configuration following the decision to merge OneWeb with Eutelsat Communications, OneWeb’s Chief Technology Officer Massimiliano Ladovaz said there has been no change with respect to the Gen 1 satellite constellation.
Ladovaz also said that a request for quotation for the construction of Gen2 satellites would be issued by the end of this year.
OneWeb and ISRO officials held a meeting on Saturday, in which the possibility of ISRO’s participation was also discussed.
According to Sunil Mittal, by the middle of next year, OneWeb will start offering its broadband service, which is primarily focused on the business-to-business segment.
Asked about the competition, he said the market is so big that there can be three or four satellite clusters.
When asked whether three or four constellations orbiting several hundreds of satellites in space would increase space debris, Ladovaz said the OneWeb satellites are designed in such a way that it will not become debris. PLC/GT
