OneWeb and SpaceX deploy latest set of satellites
OneWeb’s fifteenth launch is its first with SpaceX from its Florida base
OneWeb has successfully deployed 40 satellites launched by SpaceX, from the Kennedy Space Center, the first from Florida.
The launch on December 8 is the 15th to date and brings the OneWeb constellation to 502 satellites — completing almost 80% of its first-generation 648 LEO satellite fleet constellation.
The latest launch expands service to areas including the US, southern Europe and North Africa, northern India, the Middle East, Japan, southern Australia, South Africa and parts of South America, representing all points north of the 35th parallel. The company already has connectivity solutions active in Alaska, Canada, the UK, Greenland and the wider Arctic area.
In a December 8 statement, Neil Masterson, Chief Executive Officer of OneWeb, commented, “This launch is an immensely gratifying way to close out 2022, bringing OneWeb another step closer to activating our space-based connectivity globally and reflecting the shared ambition and collective goodwill that is driving the satellite communications industry.”
Masterson added, “As we look to our final ‘Three to Global Reality’ launches in the first half of 2023, we are thrilled to see our connectivity footprint dramatically expand from today, and to soon activate our network globally to reach remote and under-served areas of the world.”
