The next Arianespace mission is planned from Vostochny Cosmodrome with Soyuz on July 1 to deliver 36 OneWeb satellites into orbit, bringing that company’s total fleet to 254 satellites in LEO.
This 58th Soyuz mission conducted by Arianespace and their Starsem affiliate will be the fifth launch from the Vostochny Cosmodrome and represents OneWeb’s eighth launch overall. By operating ST33 flight, Arianespace will have placed into orbit to allow OneWeb to deliver connectivity services in Canada, U.K., Northern Europe, Alaska and the Arctic regions by the year’s end.
The mission will have a total duration of three hours and 51 minutes and will include nine separations of four satellites, which will raise themselves to their operational orbit.
This launch will mark the completion of OneWeb’s ‘Five to 50’ ambition to bring into orbit the satellites required to enable connectivity services to the 50th parallel. OneWeb’s launch campaign will continue thereafter as the firm works toward delivering global service next year.
OneWeb’s constellation will deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity services to a wide range of customer sectors that include aviation, maritime, backhaul services, as well as governments, emergency response services and more. Central to its purpose, OneWeb seeks to bring connectivity to every location where fiber cannot reach, and in doing so, bridge the digital divide.
Once deployed, the OneWeb constellation will enable user terminals that are capable of offering 3G, LTE, 5G and Wi-Fi coverage, providing high-speed access globally – by air, sea and land.
OneWeb Satellites, a joint venture between OneWeb and Airbus Defence and Space, is the constellation’s prime contractor. The satellites were built thanks to a satellite manufacturing process that can build as many as two satellites a day on a series production line that is dedicated to the assembly, integration and testing of the satellites.
