On April 20, 2022, OneWeb released a shocking news on its official website:
OneWeb agrees satellite launch programme with New Space India
OneWeb's satellite launch program with India
It is estimated that friends who pay attention to this event should be a little confused, because the previous judgment of everyone is that India can be launched although it can be analyzed theoretically, but the probability of OneWeb choosing India is extremely low, especially if OneWeb has reached an agreement with SpaceX! Did OneWeb and SpaceX talk about falling apart? Is browning of Indian ISRO rockets cured?
The victim of the Russian-European war: OneWeb becomes cannon fodder!
In the space industry in 2022, the most tragic news must be OneWeb, if you don't understand, then look at a few news you know that this company may continue to be miserable in 2023!
On April 12, 2022, the Russian Satellite News Agency reported that the president of the Russian Aerospace Group, Dmitry Rogozin, said that the group will open up the rocket launch business to russia-friendly countries on very favorable terms, and the rocket used is the Alliance rocket that OneWeb has paid for!
What do you mean? Russia uses rockets that OneWeb has paid for to launch other people's satellites, and plans to sell them at a preferential price! OneWeb is really miserable to a few points, but is It OneWeb miserable or Russian black? You also have to understand the previous situation: here's the thing:
After the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the entire West has imposed crazy sanctions on Russia, including the United Kingdom, the major shareholder of OneWeb, jumping up and down behind the US ass, which Russia is really angry and crushed, what to do?
On March 2, Russia made a big move, asking OneWeb to explain whether the satellite launched on March 5 had military use, otherwise it would refuse to launch, it seems that commercial launches exclude military use This is the norm, Russia took OneWeb to open the knife is to go behind the majority shareholder British government, because OneWeb is in
In November 2020, the company filed for bankruptcy reorganization, by
British Government
and
India
transnational corporations
Bharti Global
Leaders, each holding 42% of the company's equity.
Whether OneWeb is military is a question, but SpaceX's StarLink military use is estimated to be seen by everyone! Wartime communications are maintained, which is too important in the case of the destruction of the communication system, and the low-Earth orbit satellite is difficult to be destroyed, and it is also very difficult to interfere, so OneWeb, which is also a low-Earth orbit communication constellation, has no military use ghost to believe, just when everyone is struggling with what to do with OneWeb, its board decision still makes everyone admire its toughness:
On March 3, OneWeb's board of directors voted to suspend all launches of Baikonur.
So I was still waiting to argue with the OneWeb board for a while, and as a result, people simply cut themselves off, so that a large number of Russian saliva drafts prepared a lonely, originally wanted to flirt, and as a result, people gave in three times five divided by two, which was really tasteless.
But these Soyuz rockets ready to launch OneWeb have already paid the fee, and have been manufactured and stored at the Baikonur launch site, the West has imposed all-round sanctions, it is obviously impossible for Russia to refund the fee, and it is Still OneWeb that defaults first.
That's why Rogozin announced the decision that these rockets will be launched at a "cabbage price" for friendly countries, but this OneWeb tragedy has only just begun, and it seems that it has not emerged recently, and may continue until 2023 or even 2024!
OneWeb and India partner because SpaceX prices skyrocketed?
OneWeb, like SpaceX, is a low-Earth orbit communication constellation with a scale of 648 (WIKI data), has launched 428, and the original contract with Russia in 2022 is a total of more than 200 launches, the time and quantity are as follows:
Russia's Soyuz rocket pick picks and chooses not to do it, but OneWeb still has to do it, after all, the company's existence is to seek money, OneWeb's communication constellation has been completed 66%, and now it is a pity not to do it, so the world is looking for a launch company, I thought it was easy to find, the result is that the global commercial rocket launch field is in a period of transition, either ready to retire or launch full load, no one can help, but when everyone is ready to watch OneWeb good play, But unexpectedly saw that OneWeb and competitor SpaceX hooked up:
On March 21, 2022, OneWeb's official website announced an "exciting" news:
OneWeb to resume satellite launches through agreement with SpaceX
Agreement will enable OneWeb to resume its launch programme and complete satellite constellation for industry-grade secure connectivity around the world.
OneWeb will resume satellite launches through an agreement with SpaceX
The protocol will enable OneWeb to resume its launch program and complete the satellite constellation for global industrial-grade secure connectivity.
Neil Masterson, CEO of OneWeb, said:
"We thank SpaceX for its support, which reflects our shared vision of the unlimited potential of space. With these launch plans, we are on track to complete the construction of our complete fleet of satellites and provide strong, fast, and secure connectivity across the globe." ”
OneWeb hitched a ride on the rival SpaceX line, which everyone was "relieved", this unlucky child finally has a landing, at least someone to help it toss the satellite into the sky, will not die in the middle of the road!
But on April 20, OneWeb and India reached a launch agreement and then everyone was confused, this India is a novice in the field of commercial space launches, rockets and missiles Brownian motion often occurs, and GSLV is also the world's "heavy" rocket launch capability at the bottom, of course, OneWeb can definitely find India, but why and SpaceX reached an agreement to launch in India?
Is the price too high or is there something else hidden?
OneWeb mentioned SpaceX on the page that it publicly signed a contract with India, but it has only one sentence, and it does not involve any emotional color:
his launch contract follows a separate agreement between OneWeb and SpaceX to enable the company to resume satellite launches, announced in March 2022.
The launch contract follows a separate agreement between OneWeb and SpaceX to enable the company to resume satellite launches, which was announced in March 2022.
Although we don't know why, a few of Musk's tweets after OneWeb and Russian Aerospace tore his face are intriguing:
On March 14, Musk tweeted that prices were rising and SpaceX was under a lot of pressure;
On March 21, SpaceX announced a sharp increase in launch prices:
Falcon 9's launch service rose from $62 million to $67 million;
Falcon Heavy's launch service rose from $90 million to $97 million;
We don't know if the agreement between OneWeb and India is related to price increases, or it may be because of the competition with SpaceX that OneWeb has to find another spare tire, or simply because of the price, it chose India's New Space India, which offers a cheaper price!
So the question is: what exactly is the performance of GSLV in India?
There are two main types of rockets for Indian space launch missions, one is the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the other is the Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), the former's LEO (low Earth orbit) carrying capacity is only 3.8 tons, which is obviously unable to meet
OneWeb demands, and GSLV
Mark III
The performance parameters are as follows:
Height: 43.43 m
Diameter: 4 m;
Takeoff weight: 640 tons;
LEO orbital carrying capacity: 10 tons;
Low-Earth orbit carrying capacity of 10 tons, it seems good, according to the manned spaceflight requirements of 7 to 8 tons of spacecraft can also be completed, no wonder India a clamor to achieve manned spacecraft in space, this rocket is really available, but there is a truth has to talk about:
GSLV, the world's "heavy launch vehicle" performance bottom
Just looking at leo's carrying capacity is indeed a bit difficult to distinguish, but if you compare the performance of the rocket, you will definitely find that india's GSLV rocket is simply a slag:
The total weight of the rocket is as high as 640 tons, leo (low Earth orbit) carrying capacity of 10 tons, not as good as the total weight of only 459 tons of long march 3 B rocket, falcon 9 rocket total weight of 549 tons, LEO capacity of 22.8 tons, the difference is not a star and a half, almost is an order of magnitude difference.
In addition, the offer is also more expensive than the Falcon 9 v1.2 (LEO carrying capacity of 15.6 tons, priced at $50 million), GSLV MK III is quoted at $51 million, and it is also more expensive than China's Long March 3B (LEO carrying capacity of 11.5 tons, quoted at $40 million).
because
ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) (International Arms Trade Regulations) restrictions, OneWeb can not let China help launch, and India's three-legged cat rocket is obviously somewhat cheap, at best it can only solve the problem of whether there is any.
Another problem is that GSLV III has only made 4 successful launches so far, but we still hope that GSLV III does not send OneWeb's unfortunate rocket into the Indian Ocean, otherwise it will be too tragic.
Read more: Why is the GSLV III at the bottom of its carrying capacity?
The GSLV III has a measly high load ratio of only 0.65%,
You may not imagine that the carrying capacity of india's GSLV III rocket will be so poor, but in fact, after looking at the following photo, you can understand:
Did you find a problem? The engine in the middle was off when the GSLV III rocket took off!!! Its first stage rocket only has these two solid boosters next to it, the take-off thrust is seriously insufficient, and there is a super strange setting:
At 114 seconds after the ignition of the first stage, the thrust of the solid rocket decreases, resulting in a decrease in acceleration, at which point the L110 ambient liquid rocket will be activated. The solid rocket then runs together with the liquid rocket for 14 seconds after the solid rocket shuts down and the solid rocket is thrown away in the 140th second. The liquid rocket was also thrown away as it continued to advance until the 313th second.
One of the super strange things about this rocket is the ignition of a first-stage rocket
The L110 doesn't start until 114 seconds later, the two fly together for 14 seconds, and the solid rocket throws away after 140 seconds.
114 seconds + 14 seconds = 128 seconds, but the solid rocket is thrown away after 140 seconds, what's going on? Have they all turned into corpses and hung on the rocket for 12 seconds?
I really can't understand this setting, is it to make the solid rocket work harder to contribute the most gram of thrust? But the problem is that the shell of a solid rocket is also very heavy (
10,600 kg one, two more than 20 tons
What does it mean that this corpse is hanging? What the flower grower can think of is that the structural design of GSLV III is flawed, if it is prematurely detached, it may cause the natural frequency of the whole arrow to change and resonate, and only when the cryogenic liquid rocket burns some and then disengages, so as to ensure that the rocket rises smoothly.
Of course, the author does not know whether the guess is correct, you experts may be able to leave a message to analyze, this GSLV III is what is going on, as for the technology of one arrow and more stars, India has successfully launched an arrow of 104 stars (the number of the world's first, Indians like this thing the most), it seems that there should be no problem, but whether this multi-star technology can make the owner OneWeb company satisfied, I don't know, congratulations to Indian friends for signing a big order! (End)
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