- By Jonathan Amos
- BBC Science Correspondent
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The network-completing satellites were launched into orbit on India’s largest rocket
March 25, 2023
Updated 46 minutes ago
London-based company OneWeb has launched the final satellites it needs to bring broadband internet connectivity anywhere on earth.
The 36 spacecraft rose from the Sriharikota Cosmodrome in Andhra Pradesh on an Indian LVM3 rocket.
Their deployment 450 km above the planet brings OneWeb’s total in-orbit constellation to 618.
Less than three years ago, the UK government made the decision to buy out OneWeb from bankruptcy.
At the time it was considered controversial; There was some debate as to whether it was a wise use of taxpayers’ money.
But since the purchase, OneWeb has managed to attract significant additional investment, and is even now planning a next generation of satellites.
It will take a few months for Sunday’s series of satellites to be tested and get into the right part of the sky (at an altitude of 1,200 km), but once in position, OneWeb will have the ability to provide a global communications service.
Only one other organization in the world is flying more satellites into space today — and that’s OneWeb’s main competitor: the Starlink system operated by Elon Musk.
Unlike the US entrepreneur’s network, OneWeb does not sell broadband connections directly to individual users. Its customers are mainly the telecom companies that provide this internet service. They could also use the connectivity to supplement or expand the infrastructure in their cellular networks.
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Each satellite weighs about 150 kg. The next generation will be bigger and more powerful
The OneWeb system will require the necessary ground infrastructure to command and control all the satellites and connect them to the internet, but this too should be fully operational by the end of 2023.
The satellite company has been in development for a decade. Planned as a $6 billion project, it ran short of funds in early 2020 and sought protection under US bankruptcy laws until a buyer could be found. At this point, it had only lofted 74 satellites.
With its debts paid off, OneWeb quickly expanded the network and secured broader investments. It is currently working on a merger plan with Paris-based Eutelsat, best known for distributing thousands of television channels around the world.
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The system will fly 49 satellites in 12 aircraft – with spares ready for deployment
OneWeb has made the UK a major space player.
The number of satellites in the constellation has required a major commitment from the UK Civil Aviation Authority, the UK’s licensing authority for space activities.
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All ground infrastructure should be in place by the end of the year
“We are taking on a significant oversight role to ensure their satellites are all intact and operating within the limits that OneWeb has set and agreed to,” said Colin Macleod, the agency’s head of space regulation.
“Our team meets regularly at OneWeb’s headquarters in White City. All of their engineers sit in a room where they present what they are doing and if they have any risks or problems, they will talk us through the solutions so our engineers can be happy with their actions,” he told BBC News.
Safety is the top priority. The region of the sky where OneWeb spacecraft roam — from 450 km altitude to 1,200 km — is becoming increasingly congested, and the CAA wants reassurance that the constellation is being flown in a responsible manner.
Much of the operation will inevitably need to be automated, and the command and control software has had to scale rapidly over the past three years.
Image source, James Speakman
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Flat antennas are electronically controlled to lock onto the satellites in the sky
Sunday’s launch increased the number of satellites in space from 582 to 618.
In May, another 15 will rise to act as in-orbit spares. This will be joined by a demonstration spaceship that will test future technologies.
OneWeb plans to expand its network to include larger and more powerful spacecraft in the coming years. But contrary to previous suggestions, the constellation is now probably kept under 1,000 individual satellites.
However, the next generation will provide additional services such as B. Signals that allow users to determine their position on the earth’s surface or to know the exact time (a service similar to those currently provided by satellite navigation systems such as GPS and Galileo). .
The core business remains connectivity.
OneWeb will soon be launching a range of planar antennas for its customers.
Unlike traditional steerable dishes, these units electronically track satellites across the sky to maintain data links.
One of these antennas, manufactured by Kymeta, was recently tested on Mount Snowdon in Wales to provide mountain rescue teams with stable broadband communications where no network was previously available.
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OneWeb intends to merge its activities with Eutelsat, based in Paris