India’s most powerful rocket will launch the final 36 satellites for OneWeb’s initial internet constellation on Saturday night (March 25), and you can watch the action live.
A Launch Vehicle Mark-3Â (LVM3) rocket is scheduled to lift off from India’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre Saturday at 11:30 p.m. EDT (0330 GMT and 9 a.m. India Standard Time on March 26), carrying 36 OneWeb broadband satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO).
You can watch it live here at Space.com, courtesy of the Indian Space Research Organisation, or directly via ISRO (opens in new tab). Coverage is expected to begin 30 minutes before liftoff.
Related: Facts and information about ISRO, the Indian Space Research Organisation
Tonight’s launch is a huge one for OneWeb. It will be the 18th and final mission devoted to building out OneWeb’s first-generation broadband constellation in LEO, which currently consists of 582 satellites.
“This launch will be one of the most significant milestones in OneWeb’s history so far, with the launch adding an additional 36 satellites to the OneWeb fleet, the first-ever completed global LEO constellation,” OneWeb representatives said in a statement (opens in new tab).
“By completing the constellation, OneWeb is taking a pivotal step forward in delivering global coverage,” they added.
Most of the 17 previous OneWeb launches were conducted by Russian-built Soyuz rockets operated by the French company Arianespace. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 sundered that partnership, impelling OneWeb to find new rocket rides for its satellites.
The London-based company soon did just that, inking deals with both SpaceX and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), ISRO’s commercial branch. SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets launched three missions for OneWeb, which is interesting, given that Elon Musk’s company is building its own broadband constellation in LEO, called Starlink.Â
Tonight’s liftoff will be the second under the NSIL contract. The first, in October 2022,  was also flown by an LVM3, which is also known as the GSLV MK III. (“GSLV” stands for “Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle.”)
The 143-foot-tall (43.5 meters) LVM3 is India’s brawniest rocket. It’s capable of delivering 17,600 pounds (8,000 kilograms) of payload to LEO, according to its ISRO specifications page (opens in new tab).
The 36 OneWeb satellites going up tonight weigh a total of 12,798 pounds (5,805 kg), ISRO wrote in a mission description, which you can find here (opens in new tab).
Mike Wall is the author of “Out There (opens in new tab)” (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall (opens in new tab). Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in new tab) or on Facebook (opens in new tab). Â
