ISRO wins UK-based OneWeb's contract to launch internet satellites starting 2022

British company OneWeb has chosen the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to launch its internet satellites. In an official release, the UK-based firm announced that it has entered an agreement with ISRO’s commercial arm New Space India Limited. While the exact date for the launches is not finalised, the satellites will be sent into orbit from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota later this year. 

According to OneWeb, which aims to build a constellation to provide high-speed, low-latency connectivity, it currently has 428 satellites in orbit, which is 66% of the planned total fleet. Once completed, OneWeb's constellation will consist of 648 satellites in total.

Sunil Bharti Mittal, OneWeb's executive chairman, said in the company statement, "This is yet another historic day for collaboration in space, thanks to the shared ambition and vision of New Space India and OneWeb. This most recent agreement on launch plans adds considerable momentum to the development of OneWeb’s network, as we work together across the space industry toward our common goal of connecting communities globally." The company further clarified, that its contract with ISRO follows a separate agreement with SpaceX, with which it struck a deal last month. 

OneWeb looks for new partners

The UK-based company's deal with ISRO is its attempt to find new launch partners after Russia refused to provide its Soyuz rocket in March. OneWeb relied on Soyuz rockets for its satellite launches until early March, when Russia demanded the company to guarantee that its assets will not be used for military purposes. Notably, the ties between OneWeb and the Russian space agency Roscosmos deteriorated after the latter launched a military offensive against Ukraine on February 24. 

Following Russia's refusal to cooperate, OneWeb turned to its competitor SpaceX, which is building its own satellite constellation, for its Falcon 9 rockets. "With these launch plans in place, we’re on track to finish building out our full fleet of satellites and deliver robust, fast, secure connectivity around the globe", company CEO Neil Masterson had said. SpaceX, on the other hand, has installed over 2,300 satellites in orbit and recently added 35 new ones on April 21.