TAMPA, Fla. — SpaceX launched a technology demonstration satellite for OneWeb’s second-generation broadband constellation on May 20, along with spares for the British company’s current LEO (Low Earth Orbit) network and another that of Iridium Communications-headquartered operated in the United States.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 21 spacecraft launched at 9:16 a.m. EST in thick fog from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on a southbound polar trajectory.
An hour later, all five Iridium backup satellites deployed, followed by 16 OneWeb satellites, which separated in pairs.
The carrier of the rocket’s first stage successfully landed on a drone ship in the Atlantic and was reused after its eleventh flight.
OneWeb and Iridium separately confirmed contact with all of their satellites after the mission, which was delayed by a day for reasons SpaceX didn’t disclose.
OneWeb currently has 633 first-generation satellites in LEO, but only needs 588 to provide global coverage, with the rest serving as in-orbit backups.
The satellites that have propelled OneWeb surpassed the mark of 588 satellites launched on March 25, and the company recently said it is on track to launch global commercial services by January.
The satellites were built by prime contractor Airbus OneWeb Satellites, a Florida-based joint venture the operator shares with Airbus.
Iridium selected European company Thales Alenia Space as the prime contractor for its Iridium NEXT connectivity constellation, which includes 66 operational satellites in LEO. SpaceX launched all of these satellites between 2017 and 2019, in addition to nine spare satellites in orbit.
The May 20 mission launched five of the six spare satellites that Iridium had stored for at least four years. Iridium has made no detailed plans for deploying its latest ground replacement.
Gen2 by OneWeb
One of the satellites launched for OneWeb, JoeySat, is set to test the capabilities of a second-generation constellation, and the company says deployment could begin as early as 2025.
One of several new technologies at JoeySat, according to OneWeb, is the ability to remotely control beams and signal strength, allowing the satellite to increase capacity in areas of higher usage in response to spikes in demand.
Israel-based company SatixFy built the JoeySat payload with support from the European Space Agency and the UK Space Agency for assembly by Airbus OneWeb Satellites.
JoeySat uses the same satellite platform as OneWeb’s 150-kilogram Gen 1 spacecraft.
French geostationary fleet operator Eutelsat, which is seeking regulatory approvals to purchase OneWeb, said on May 11 that the Gen 2 satellites are bulkier than Gen 1 satellites and could offer three to five times more capacity.
The companies also estimate that they only need a constellation of around 300 Gen 2 satellites, in part because they could use Eutelsat’s network in geostationary orbit over high-demand areas.
Eutelsat and OneWeb have not yet selected a manufacturer for the Gen 2 satellites.