LVM3-M3 mission: ISRO conducts test of its heaviest rocket's engine | Read here

The heaviest rocket LVM3 of ISRO will launch 36 satellites of British start-up OneWeb. (PTI)

The CE-20 engine is assigned for the LVM3-M3 mission identified for launching the next 36 OneWeb India-1 satellited, said the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). 

The flight acceptance hot test of the CE-20 engine was carried out in the High Altitude Test facility of ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu on Friday, according to the news agency PTI.

The CE-20 engine is assigned for the LVM3-M3 mission identified for launching the next 36 OneWeb India-1 satellites, said the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Sources informed PTI that these satellites of OneWeb, the London-based satellite communications company, are expected to be launched by the NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the ISRO's commercial arm, aboard LVM3 early next year, as per PTI reports.

The flight acceptance test comes within days of the launch of the first set of 36 OneWeb satellites by the NSIL from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC- SHAR) in Sriharikota on October 23.

According to OneWeb, its partnership with NSIL and ISRO demonstrated its commitment to providing connectivity across the length and breadth of India by 2023.

From Ladakh to Kanyakumari and Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh, OneWeb will bring secured solutions not only to enterprises but also to towns, villages, municipalities, and schools, including the hardest-to-reach areas across the country, it said.

"OneWeb's commitment to enhance connectivity in India is backed by Bharti Global, its largest investor", the company added.

Radhakrishnan D, NSIL Chairman-cum-Managing Director said, "We look forward to strengthening our partnership with OneWeb and utilizing the potential that LEO connectivity has to deliver broadband services across India."

As per information by the Bengaluru-headquartered national space agency, last Sunday's launch marked the rocket's entry into the global commercial launch service market.

NSIL, a central public sector enterprise under the Department of Space, had earlier signed two launch service contracts with the Network Access Associated Limited (OneWeb) for launching a total of 72 OneWeb LEO (low earth orbit) satellites on board ISRO's LVM3, PTI reported.

LVM3, ISRO's heaviest rocket, is capable of launching a four-ton class of satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer orbit. LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark 3) is a three-stage vehicle with two solid motor strap-ons, a liquid propellant core stage, and a cryogenic stage.