Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite operator OneWeb has completed its latest launch of 34 satellites, conducted by Arianespace from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, bringing its total in-orbit constellation to 288 satellites.
The firm now has some 44% of its planned final global constellation in place, with a total of 648 LEO satellites expected to form the completed network.
OneWeb says that it remains on track to deliver global service in 2022 and is in the process of building its distribution partnership network to deliver services to various markets, including maritime.
“We are building on our success and embarking on an ambitious back-to-back launch programme until the end of 2021,” said Neil Masterson, OneWeb CEO.
“We are seeing huge demand for our services from global customers, and we are incredibly excited about scaling our network ahead of its commercial launch. This success is down to our talented team and partners around the world, who continue to work relentlessly every day to deliver OneWeb’s constellation and bring connectivity to those in the hardest to reach places.”
In related news, Intellian and OneWeb have announced the development of a new flat-panel antenna for land-based use to connect with the LEO network following its commercial launch.
The two companies announced a US$73 million terminal development contract in March of this year, which will see Intellian develop antennas for use in various major verticals, including maritime. The newly announced flat-panel terminal is the first unit to be launched under this partnership.
