OneWeb completes 6th launch taking its in-orbit constellation to 182 satellites

Bharti Group-backed OneWeb, the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications company, has successfully launched another batch of 36 satellites by Arianespace from the Vostochny Cosmodrome.

This successful launch brings OneWeb’s total in-orbit constellation to 182 satellites. These will form part of OneWeb’s 648 LEO satellite fleet that will deliver high-speed, low-latency global connectivity, and represents 60 per cent of the constellation required to enable its connectivity solution to reach all regions north of 50 degrees latitude by June 2021.

This was the third in a five-launch ‘Five to 50’ programme, enabling OneWeb to offer services across the United Kingdom, Alaska, Northern Europe, Greenland, Iceland, the Artic Seas and Canada, and will be switched on before the end of the year. OneWeb then intends to make global service available in 2022.

Neil Masterson, CEO, OneWeb, said, “These are exciting times at OneWeb as we get ever closer to bringing our connectivity services to some of the world’s hardest to reach places. With this successful launch, we are rapidly building momentum: we are launching more satellites, demonstrating the network and announcing more distribution singings around the globe. We have a world class team and product, and alongside our supportive shareholders, OneWeb continues to work towards bringing connectivity to everyone, everywhere.”

OneWeb also continues to grow rapidly as it sees increasing demand across its customer base. The company has recently announced distribution signings across multiple industries with more signings to be announced in the coming weeks as OneWeb expands its global capabilities. OneWeb also agreed its latest MoU with the Government of Kazakhstan this month as it continues to demonstrate the company’s commercial viability and the confidence customers have in its services and offering.