Bharti backed OneWeb has confirmed the successful launch of 34 satellites by Arianespace from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. This launch, the company’s first in 2022 and 13th overall, brings OneWeb’s total in-orbit constellation to 428 satellites. It represents 66 per cent of OneWeb’s planned 648 LEO satellite fleet that will deliver high-speed, low-latency global connectivity.
This launch kicks off a successful start to 2022 as demand for OneWeb’s broadband connectivity services has continued to grow across telecommunications providers, aviation and maritime markets, internet service providers (ISPs), and governments worldwide. Most recently, the company has signed new distribution partnership agreements with several companies in the last month, including Hughes Network Systems, Marlink, and Field Solutions Holdings, to help ensure connectivity is delivered to the most hard-to-reach places globally.
Liftoff of the latest launch occurred on February 10, 2022. OneWeb’s satellites separated from the rocket and were dispensed in nine batches over a period of 3 hours 33 minutes with signal acquisition on all 34 satellites confirmed.
Commenting on the deployment, Neil Masterson, CEO, OneWeb, said, “Our first launch of the year marks our significant progress in completing a truly global LEO network later in 2022. We continue to see growing demand for OneWeb’s industry-leading services as we look forward to delivering on our ambition to build robust, secure, and global access to broadband services.”
