OneWeb Satellites constellation

• 900 satellites to provide affordable internet worldwide
  
• The first six satellites were launched on February 27^th 2019
• OneWeb Satellites, the joint venture owned by Airbus and OneWeb  

Airbus, Europe's largest space company, and OneWeb Satellites have teamed up to design and manufacture up to 900 satellites for the OneWeb constellation, which will provide affordable high-speed Internet access across the globe.

The challenge is enormous, since satellites have never been mass produced before. A requirement to produce several small satellites a day has inspired us to develop innovative designs and processes that dramatically lower the cost in large volumes for high performance space applications. We set up an assembly line that is completely different from classic geostationary satellite assembly facilities and we organised a procurement supply chain that is unlike anything the space sector has ever seen before.

OneWeb calls for satellites of less than 150kg each that feature fewer electrical connections between subsystems than is typical of traditional communications satellites. With first models manufactured at OneWeb Satellites facility at the Airbus Toulouse site in France, full series production is taking place at OneWeb Satellites new factory in Florida, demonstrating once again the agility of this joint venture.

Airbus has leveraged resources and expertise across the entire group to rise to the challenges this project presents.

OneWeb Satellites announced the delivery of the first satellites for the OneWeb constellation in January 2019. The first six satellites were shipped to Kourou for successful launch on 27 February 2019 with a regular launch programme to start in 2020, on track for OneWeb to deliver full commercial services at the end of 2021.

With this generation of satellites, OneWeb Satellites is entering a new chapter in space story.