OneWeb successfully launches 34 satellites

Low earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company OneWeb has confirmed a successful deployment of 34 satellites by Arianespace from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.

The lift-off of the launch happened on 10 February, with OneWeb’s satellites separating from the rocket and dispensing in nine batches over a period of three hours and 33 minutes.

The company says this is OneWeb’s first launch in 2022 and 13th overall. OneWeb’s total in-orbit constellation is now 428 satellites, representing 66% of OneWeb’s planned 648 LEO satellite fleet that will deliver high-speed, low-latency global connectivity.

Demand for OneWeb’s broadband connectivity services is growing across governments as well as telecommunications providers, aviation and maritime markets and ISPs. The company recently signed new distribution partnership agreements with several companies, including Hughes Network Systems, Marlink and Field Solutions Holdings.

Neil Masterson, OneWeb’s CEO, said: “Our first launch of the year marks our significant progress in completing a truly global LEO network later in 2022. We continue to see growing demand for OneWeb’s industry-leading services as we look forward to delivering on our ambition to build robust, secure, and global access to broadband services.”