ISRO versus SpaceX. Sunil Bharti Mittal versus Elon Musk. The race to create a constellation of internet satellites around the Earth is heating up, and India is lengthening its strides.
ISRO LAUNCH
October 2022 is likely to see a historic launch by India's space agency ISRO. India's heaviest space rocket is set to make commercial debut soon. ISRO is reportedly preparing the GSLV-Mk III for its first fully commercial mission.
The GSLV-Mk III rocket will carry satellites of UK-based company OneWeb. ISRO's commercial arm NSIL had signed the contract with OneWeb. The launch is expected to take place on 22 October 2022, according to sources quoted by news agency PTI.
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The ISRO mission is another step in OneWeb's plan to cover the Earth with a blanket of satellites.
WHAT IS ONEWEB?
OneWeb is a global communications start-up headquartered in London. It is working on building a satellite constellation all around the Earth to provide high-speed internet across the globe. Satellite internet is envisioned as a way to bring remote areas online as this method does not need the installation of costly ground infrastructure.
OneWeb had already placed 428 of 648 satellites in low-Earth orbit by February 2022. Its internet services are currently available in the UK, Canada, Alaska, and the Arctic region.
INDIA LINK, SPACEX CHALLENGE
OneWeb has a big India connection. Airtel founder Sunil Bharti Mittal is the largest shareholder in OneWeb. The $15 billion Bharti Group owns around 40% stake in the UK company.
With its satellite internet plan, OneWeb is taking on a titan of the space industry - Elon Musk's SpaceX. SpaceX has a division called Starlink which is on the same mission - deploying satellites to provide internet connectivity. However, Starlink has a head-start. It has already put more than 3,400 satellites in Earth's orbit, compared to OneWeb's 428.
To challenge SpaceX, OneWeb and French satellite company Eutelsat recently announced a merger which would create a formidable front in the industry.
OneWeb also plans to complete its own constellation by next year. And India has gained a coveted spot in the mission, at Russia's cost. OneWeb cancelled its contracts with Russia after Moscow attacked Ukraine. In March 2022, OneWeb suspended its launches from Russia's Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Subsequently, OneWeb signed a contract with ISRO for satellite launches. 36 OneWeb satellites are set to be placed in orbit in the October mission. This will be the company's 14th launch. Another satellite launch is expected to take place in 2022, while 3 launches are expected in 2023 to complete the OneWeb constellation.
INDIA'S 'SPECIAL' ROCKET
ISRO is using the GSLV-Mk III rocket, which is considered quite special. It has achieved full success in all its missions so far. The GSLV-Mk III has been used in four launches so far - in 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019. It was used to launch the 2019 Chandrayaan-2 mission. The rocket will also play a big part in India's first human spaceflight. It is being modified for Gaganyaan mission astronauts.
The GSLV-Mk III, also called Launch Vehicle Mark 3, is India's heaviest space rocket. It weighs 640 tonnes, and stands at a height of almost 44 metres. It is a 3-stage rocket.
The first stage consists of burning solid fuel kept in two strap-on tanks. It uses an S200 solid motor which is among the world's largest such engines. The objective of this stage is lift-off, and making the spacecraft escape Earth's atmosphere.
The second stage consists of a liquid fuel core booster. It uses twin liquid engines with 115 tonnes of propellant. These provide thrust after the strap-on tanks are exhausted and detach themselves from the spacecraft.
The third stage is high thrust cryogenic. It uses a made-in-India cryogenic engine. This provides the last-mile boost for placing the satellites in orbit.
SATELLITE INTERNET: THE FUTURE?
The satellites this Indian rocket will carry might represent the future of internet connectivity.
Space internet works with service providers sending an internet signal to the satellite. The satellite then relays this to the satellite dish placed at the customer's home or office. The dish is connected to a modem, and finally the user's computer gets access to internet.
This method has many advantages, but some disadvantages too.
Satellite internet can help connect 70% of rural India which currently doesn't enjoy internet access. However, it is very expensive, and the high cost can be prohibitive in rural areas.
However, another advantage is that with satellite internet, there is no need to lay fibre optic cables or set up mobile towers, which themselves are time-consuming and expensive. But satellite internet speeds are still slower than fibre-optic cables.
One possibility is that costs for users may fall as the industry matures, and technology improves. It would also have to overcome challenges like higher latency than cable internet, and services getting affected due to severe weather.
Internet access can completely transform Indian villages - from helping children study, to improving farming techniques.
India should capitalise on the OneWeb mission, and gain a foothold in the satellite internet industry while it is still nascent, to secure maximum advantage.
