OneWeb, the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications company, on Tuesday announced the arrival of 36 satellites at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC- SHAR) ahead of a planned launch from Sriharikota.
OneWeb has teamed up with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of national space agency Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to facilitate the launch.
With this launch, OneWeb will have over 70 per cent of its planned 'Gen 1 LEO constellation' in orbit as it progresses to deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity services around the world, the company said in a statement.
"The launch will be the company's 14th overall and the satellites will be put into orbit by the heaviest ISRO rocket, the GSLV-MkIII, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre," the statement said.
An additional launch will take place this year, while three more launches are targeted for early next year to complete the constellation, OneWeb said.
The company termed the upcoming launch as pivotal moment "demonstrating tremendous momentum and progress towards delivering global coverage next year".
"OneWeb resumes its launch programme with leading partners in the satcom industry and the company's services are already available in Alaska, Canada, UK, and the Arctic region," the statement said.
Bharti Enterprises, a major investor and shareholder in OneWeb, this year announced a distribution partnership with Hughes Communications India Pvt Ltd(HCIPL). OneWeb will connect towns, villages, and local and regional municipalities in the hard-to-reach areas "playing a critical role in bridging the digital divide across India".
"OneWeb's dedication to industry collaboration has allowed us to successfully navigate the ever-changing global
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