OneWeb Successfully Deploys 16 Satellites

The Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications business, OneWeb, confirmed on the 20th of May that they had successfully deployed 16 satellites. This puts the company another step forward on its journey toward providing global services.

A successful lift-off for OneWeb

It was lift-off for OneWeb on the 20th, May, 6.16 PT (local time), from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base. 

The satellites successfully separated from the vehicle and were then dispensed in eight phases over a process that lasted 86 minutes. OneWeb has confirmed signal acquisition on all 16 satellites. 

This launch marks OneWeb’s fourth successful launch with SpaceX.

Chief Executive Office at OneWeb, Neil Masterson, said the following:

“We are excited to see the successful completion of our 19th launch, which would not have been possible without our committed team and our enormously skilled launch partners. We have made tremendous progress in scaling our services, and today’s launch is a testament to our commitment to continue improving our service to our customers”

JoeySat is one of the 16 satellites that have been launched

JoeySat was the 16th satellite launched. This is a next-generation satellite that was developed through the UKSA and European Space Agency Sunrise Partnership program.

The satellite carries a revolutionary payload design, which demonstrates digital beamforming beam-hopping technologies, electronically steered multi-beam arrays, and digital regenerative processing. 

This will enable satellites to switch between various locations on Earth. Plus, JoeySat will be able to amend the strength of the communications signals based on the demands or needs of the customer. 

On track for global coverage by the end of 2023

OneWeb now has 634 satellites in orbit, meaning the company is on track to achieve global coverage this year.

When you factor in the 16 satellites that were launched at the end of last week, OneWeb is effectively scaling services for consumers worldwide.