OneWeb LEO Constellation to Launch with SpaceX due to Russian Sanctions
The OneWeb LEO constellation will be launched by SpaceX after the competing satellite internet company lost its rides to space due to sanctions against Russia.
"We thank SpaceX for their support, which reflects our shared vision for the boundless potential of space. With these launch plans in place, we’re on track to finish building out our full fleet of satellites and deliver robust, fast, secure connectivity around the globe.”
OneWeb CEO Neil Masterson.
Deployment of the OneWeb LEO constellation was in jeopardy after Russia was sanctioned by the United States and the U.K. for its invasion of Ukraine. The OneWeb board of directors voted at that time to suspend all operations at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and Arianespace suspended all launches using Soyuz rockets.
Now, the two competing companies have entered into an agreement that will enable OneWeb to resume satellite launches. The first launch with SpaceX is anticipated in 2022 and will add to OneWeb’s total in-orbit constellation that currently stands at 428 satellites, or 66 percent of the fleet. OneWeb's network will deliver high-speed, low-latency global connectivity.
"We thank SpaceX for their support, which reflects our shared vision for the boundless potential of space. With these launch plans in place, we’re on track to finish building out our full fleet of satellites and deliver robust, fast, secure connectivity around the globe,” said OneWeb CEO Neil Masterson.
Demand for OneWeb’s broadband connectivity services has continued to grow across telecommunications providers, aviation and maritime markets, and governments worldwide. OneWeb has activated service with its network at the 50th parallel and above, and early partners are initiating service.
Meanwhile, communications and IT services provider Speedcast will become a OneWeb Distribution Partner, integrating OneWeb’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity into Speedcast’s Unified Global Platform (UGP).
OneWeb is set to enter customer trials in mid-2022, bringing in LEO service for Speedcast’s energy and enterprise customers followed by maritime mobility in 2023. The agreement will add OneWeb’s enterprise-grade, high-speed LEO connectivity to the Speedcast platform, which is one of the largest technology-agnostic networks in the world, seamlessly adding LEO as a connectivity pathway, joining GEO, MEO and 4G/5G for high-demand applications.
Making this integration possible is Speedcast’s substantial investment in network management technologies, with future-ready, software-defined services to help evolve customer operations and maximize what remote sites can achieve. Speedcast’s UGP monitors and automatically selects the right network path based on changes in operating environment, switching among satellites and between space and terrestrial routes to enable any device to choose the right communications path and connect sites and sensors to headquarters, cloud networks and other remote operations. Together with OneWeb services, Speedcast’s global platform will ensure customers in the maritime, energy and enterprise industries benefit from a multi-path, multi-orbit future that includes new LEO connectivity options.
Speedcast is already partnering with OneWeb on live service demonstrations, and this collaboration will extend further in the coming months as Speedcast plans to participate in trials relating to the constellation’s antenna tracking, handovers, and related ground equipment.
(Source: OneWeb news releases. Image from file)