OneWeb to launch 16 satellites

OneWeb, the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications company, will launch 16 satellites with SpaceX no earlier than May 19, 2023. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will also be carrying satellites from Iridium, and the vehicle will lift off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This will be OneWeb’s 19th launch to date as the company progresses toward global coverage.

This launch will add another 15 satellites to OneWeb’s LEO satellite fleet, increasing resiliency and redundancy to the network. Also included in this launch is an innovative demonstration satellite named JoeySat. JoeySat contains several new technologies including a digitally regenerative payload and demonstration of multi-beam electronically steered phased array antennas. The payload developed through the Sunrise Partnership programme funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) and UK Space Agency (UKSA), will test an innovative beam-hopping capability that will allow satellites to switch between different places on Earth and adjust the strength of the communications signals based on customer needs or demands.

OneWeb is a wholesale connectivity provider delivering high-performance, low-latency network services for consumer-facing distribution partners such as telecommunications and internet service providers. OneWeb’s partners integrate the LEO service into their offerings to deliver solutions such as community wifi, cellular backhaul, corporate connectivity as well as high-speed connectivity for maritime and aviation customers.

OneWeb’s solutions are now active in unserved and underserved rural and remote communities in the U.S., UK, and Canada with more solutions due to come online in the near term. BCS Bureau