ISRO carries out key test of its heaviest rocket’s engine

The flight acceptance hot test of the CE-20 engine was carried out at the High Altitude Test Site of the ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) at Mahendragiri in the state of Tamil Nadu.

The engine is intended for the LVM3-M3 mission, which will launch the following 36 OneWeb India-1 satellites, according to the Indian Space Research Organization.

OneWeb, a satellite communications company with its headquarters in London, wants to launch these satellites on LVM3 in the first few months of 2019, according to sources at NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), ISRO’s commercial division.

The first 36 OneWeb satellites were launched by the NSIL on October 23 from Sriharikota’s Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC-SHAR), and the flying acceptance test is scheduled for this Friday.

OneWeb asserts that its partnership with NSIL and ISRO demonstrates its dedication to achieving nationwide connectivity by 2023.

It was also said that OneWeb would provide secure solutions not just to enterprises but also to towns, villages, municipalities, and educational institutions all over the country, including the hardest-to-reach areas from Ladakh to Kanyakumari and Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh.

According to OneWeb, its biggest investor “supports OneWeb’s aim to improve connectivity in India.”

NSIL Chairman and Managing Director Radhakrishnan D said, “We look forward to strengthening our relationship with OneWeb and utilising the potential that LEO connection provides to bring broadband services across India.

The rocket’s launch on Easter Sunday, according to the national space agency, which has its headquarters in Bengaluru, signified its entry into the global market for commercial launch services.

NSIL previously consented to two launch service contracts for the purpose of launching 72 OneWeb LEO (low earth orbit) satellites aboard ISRO’s LVM3 rocket. OneWeb is a central public-sector company that reports to the Department of Space.

The largest rocket operated by ISRO, the LVM3, is capable of placing a four-ton class satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit.

A cryogenic stage, a liquid-fueled core stage, and two solid-motor strap-ons make up the three stages of the Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM3) rocket.