OneWeb Constellation Set to Expand by 36 Satellites
Preparations are underway for the next Arianespace mission: to expand the OneWeb constellation with the launch of 36 additional satellites. The launch, set for March 25, will utilize the medium-lift Soyuz launcher from Vostochny Spaceport in Russia.
These spacecraft – built by the OneWeb Satellites joint venture of OneWeb and Airbus Defence and Space – were delivered at Ignatievo Airport by a cargo jetliner on February 19.
The upcoming mission, designated Flight ST30 in Arianespace’s launcher family numbering system, will be performed with its Starsem affiliate utilizing a Soyuz-2.1b version of the workhorse launch vehicle produced by Russia’s Samara Space Center.
To date, Arianespace has orbited 110 OneWeb constellation satellites on four missions, with all deployed by Soyuz launchers.
The initial OneWeb Constellation spacecraft were orbited from the Guiana Space Center (French Guiana) during February 2019, followed in February and March 2020 with launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome (Kazakhstan), and the December 2020 launch from Vostochny Spaceport (Russia).
OneWeb’s goal is to bring connectivity to everywhere where fiber cannot reach, delivering high-speed, low-latency connectivity services to a wide range of customer sectors – including aviation, maritime, backhaul services, and for governments, emergency response services and more.
Earlier this year, OneWeb secured additional funding from SoftBank Group and Hughes Network Systems LLC, bringing OneWeb’s total funding to $1.4 billion. The capital raised to date positions the company to be fully funded for its first-generation satellite constellation, totaling 648 satellites, by the end of 2022.
The medium-lift Soyuz entered service from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana during 2011, bringing the industry's longest-operating launcher to the world's most modern launch base. Soyuz is a four-stage launcher, designed to extremely high reliability levels for its use in manned missions. Vehicles flown from the Spaceport are evolved versions that include an updated digital flight control system, an increased-performance third stage and the larger Soyuz ST payload fairing.
(Image provided with Arianespace news release)