Jump to content

Eutelsat OneWeb

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from OneWeb Satellites)

Network Access Associates Ltd.
Company typePublic
IndustrySatellite Internet access
PredecessorWorldVu Satellites
Founded2012; 12 years ago (2012)
FounderGreg Wyler[1][2][3]
HeadquartersLondon, England, UK[4]
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Eva Berneke (CEO)[5]
Number of employees
Increase ~600 (March 2022)
ParentEutelsat Group
SubsidiariesAirbus OneWeb Satellites (50% owner)
Websiteoneweb.net

Eutelsat OneWeb (legally Network Access Associates Ltd.) is a subsidiary of Eutelsat Group providing broadband satellite Internet services in low Earth orbit (LEO).[4][6] The company is headquartered in London, and has offices in Virginia, US[7] and a satellite manufacturing facility in Florida – Airbus OneWeb Satellites – that is a joint venture with Airbus Defence and Space.

The company was founded as "WorldVu" by Greg Wyler in 2012[1][2] and later as "OneWeb" launched its first 6 satellites in February 2019. It entered bankruptcy in March 2020 after failing to raise the required capital to complete the build and deployment of the remaining 90% of the network. The company emerged from the bankruptcy proceedings and reorganization in November 2020 with a new ownership group. As of 2021, Indian multinational company Bharti Global, France-based satellite service provider Eutelsat and the Government of the United Kingdom were the company's largest shareholders, while Japan's SoftBank retained an equity holding of 12%.[5][8]

On 28 September 2023, Eutelsat announced the completion of its merger with OneWeb and the creation of a new "Eutelsat Group" company, with subsidiaries "Eutelsat" and "Eutelsat OneWeb".[9][10]

History

[edit]
OneWeb satellite manufacturing facility in Merritt Island, Florida.

The company was founded in 2012 under the name WorldVu,[11] and was based in Britain's Channel Islands.[12]

Google participation and transfer of the spectrum

[edit]

Early reports of the potential involvement of Google in offering broadband internet services surfaced in February 2014, when a "very large [satellite] constellation" was rumored to be in the plans with as many as 1600 satellites.[13] In May 2014, the early concept had been to have at least 20 satellites operating in each of 20 orbital planes to provide consistent internet coverage over the surface of the Earth.[14]

By June 2014, WorldVu (later to be renamed to OneWeb) had acquired the satellite spectrum that was formerly owned by SkyBridge, a company that went bankrupt in 2000,[15] in a much earlier attempt to offer broadband Internet services via satellite.[16]

By September 2014, the WorldVu company had 30 employees, and several Google employees who had joined Google as part of the acquisition of O3b Networks in 2013 — Greg Wyler, Brian Holz and David Bettinger — left Google to become a part of WorldVu Satellites Ltd. They took with them the rights to a certain radio frequency spectrum that could be used to provide Internet access. At the time, WorldVu was working closely with SpaceX and SpaceX's founder Elon Musk to explore satellite internet services,[17] although no formal relationship had been established and no launch commitments had been made in 2014.[18]

SpaceX, initial manufacturing plans

[edit]

By November 2014, The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk and Wyler were considering options for building a factory to manufacture high-volume low-cost satellites, and that "initial talks had been held with state officials in Florida and Colorado" about potentially locating a factory in those states,[19] as well as that SpaceX would likely launch the satellites.[19] Also in November 2014, WorldVu issued a tender "to satellite manufacturers for 640 125-kg satellites", asking for responses by mid-December 2014, having secured regulatory approval for use of the requisite electromagnetic spectrum communication frequencies in mid-2014.[20][21]

The 2014 OneWeb solicitation to satellite manufacturers was for a total build of approximately 900 small Internet-delivery satellites, including ground and on-orbit spares. Responses were received from both European and American manufacturers including Airbus Defence and Space, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, OHB SE, SSL and Thales Alenia Space, and discussions focused on how each of these companies might "escape their status-quo histories as major space hardware contractors and remake themselves into producers capable of producing multiple satellites per month, each with a cost of fewer than US$500,000".[22] OneWeb announced that it planned to form a joint venture with the winning bidder and open a new facility for manufacturing the new smallsats.[22]

Funding from Virgin Group and Qualcomm

[edit]

In January 2015, The Wall Street Journal reported that WorldVu, now operating under the name OneWeb Ltd, had secured funding from Virgin Group and Qualcomm to build and launch the constellation.[23][24] OneWeb also divulged that the planned satellites would weigh approximately 125 kg and that the plans were to deploy approximately 650 of them in low Earth orbit to operate at 1,200 km (750 mi) altitude.[23][24] Just a few days later, Elon Musk announced the rival Starlink venture, with the opening of the SpaceX satellite development facility in Seattle, Washington, with the intent of taking SpaceX itself into the business of internet provision and internet backhaul services, initially announced as aiming to build an approximately 4000-satellite constellation, with the first generation becoming operational in approximately 2020.[25]

The satellites for the OneWeb constellation were initially announced to be in the 110 kg (240 lb) class, about the same size as the two Earth-imaging satellites that were then operated by Skybox Imaging, which Google acquired in August 2014.[24][26][27] However, by the following year, sources put the satellites nearer 150–200 kg (330–440 lb) in mass.[22][28]

Pre-launch agreements and investments

[edit]

In 2015, OneWeb secured US$500 million in funding, and agreed to purchase certain future launch services, from existing aerospace industry companies Arianespace and Virgin Galactic.[29][30] In June 2015, OneWeb also entered into a deal with Airbus Defence and Space for the construction of its broadband Internet satellites after a competition among American and European manufacturers.[31]

In July 2016, one year after the initial announcement, OneWeb stated they were on schedule.[32] In December 2016, OneWeb raised US$1 billion from SoftBank Group Corp. and US$200 million from existing investors.[33][34]

In February 2017, OneWeb announced that it expected to sell all of its capacity by launch time.[33] At the time, it had formally announced capacity sold for a joint Gogo and Intelsat venture.[33] OneWeb's founder and then executive chairman Greg Wyler announced he was considering nearly quadrupling the size of the satellite constellation by adding 1972 additional satellites that OneWeb had priority rights to.[33] With the original capital raise of US$500 million in 2015, plus the US$1 billion investment of SoftBank in 2016, previous "investors committed to an additional US$200 million, bringing OneWeb's total capital raised to US$1.7 billion".[33] A merger arrangement with Intelsat that had been in negotiations during May 2017 collapsed in June 2017 and did not go forward.[35]

Manufacturing and constellation rollout

[edit]

The constellation was originally announced in June 2014 to be just half of the total of approximately 720 satellites. A quarter of the satellites were to make up the initial constellation, and these would operate in the lower of the two proposed orbits, at approximately 850 km (530 mi).[16] The initial constellation would presumably be raised or lowered into its final orbital altitude of either 800 km (500 mi) or 950 km (590 mi) as consumer and business use of the broadband service grows over time.[14] By early 2015, OneWeb indicated that the first launches would occur no earlier than 2017.[24]

In February 2016, OneWeb announced that they would set up an assembly and test facility in Florida with plans to assemble and launch the majority of the satellites by the end of 2019, while manufacturing an additional 250 of the 140 kg-satellites as spares to be used in later years.[36]

In 2019, OneWeb had formed a joint venture, OneWeb Satellites, with the European company Airbus Defence and Space in order to manufacture its satellites in higher volume and at lower cost than any satellites previously built by Airbus. A manufacturing facility was built in Merritt Island, Florida. Initial satellite production at the new facility began in mid-2019 and by January 2020, the factory reached the target production rate of two satellites per day.[37]

By the time the actual orbital deployment of the constellation began, in February 2019, the planned constellation size had settled once again at 648, near the original projection, with 600 active satellites with 48 on-orbit spares.[38]

In January 2020, OneWeb reached a production rate of two satellites per day. In February 2020, the company launched its first large batch of satellites.[39][40]

In January 2021, OneWeb amended its application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to change the number of satellites planned for its Phase Two constellation to 6,372.[41][42]

First launches and additional investments

[edit]

On 27 February 2019, OneWeb launched its first six satellites into 1,200 km [43] low Earth orbit from the Centre Spatial Guyanais in French Guiana using a Soyuz-2 launch vehicle.[44][45] The same day OneWeb announced that it had signed its first two client agreements marking the beginning of its commercialization.[46] On 18 March 2019, OneWeb announced it had secured US$1.25 billion in funding following a successful first launch. The funding was from existing investors SoftBank and Qualcomm, as well as Grupo Salinas and the Government of Rwanda.[47]

By August 2019, the company had six of its satellites broadcasting at the right frequencies for 90 days, meeting the "use-it-or-lose-it" spectrum conditions set by the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union (ITU).[48] This secured the vital rights OneWeb needed to operate its global satellite broadband network.[12]

In February and March 2020, the company launched an additional 68 satellites to orbit, stating that launches would be paused to allow a minor design modification to be made before planning to resume in May 2020.[37]

Bankruptcy

[edit]

On 27 March 2020, OneWeb Global Limited and 18 affiliates filed for bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.[49][50][3] The company said the decision was made because of the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.[51] The company laid off approximately 85% of its approximately 500 employees, but retained the capability to control its operational satellites during the period of court protection.[51][50]

On 3 July 2020, a consortium led by Bharti Global and the Government of the United Kingdom won the auction to purchase the bankrupt company.[52][53][54][55] The sale closed in November, allowing the company to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[56]

Exit from bankruptcy protection

[edit]

On 3 July 2020, the Government of the United Kingdom and Sunil Mittal's Bharti Global (formerly a partner of OneWeb) announced a joint plan to invest US$500 million each for equal stakes in OneWeb Global, approximately 42% each; the rest would be held by other creditors including Softbank. The UK government would also hold a golden share to give it control over any future sales.[53][57][8] The plan was approved by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York on 10 July 2020,[58] and the deal closed in November 2020, allowing OneWeb to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

In July 2020, Hughes Network Systems invested US$50 million in the consortium.[59] The same month, the UK government stated an intention to repurpose the OneWeb satellites for its own Global Navigation Satellite System.[53][60]

Shortly after the July public announcement of the OneWeb sale, a letter from Sam Beckett, the leading civil servant in the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), was released. In the letter, Beckett raised concerns that taxpayers' money could be at risk. The comments were made as part of a request for "ministerial direction", therefore it was required that the letter be made public and any concerns raised be formally overruled. BEIS minister Alok Sharma overrode the concerns and proceeded with the bid.[61]

On 21 September 2020, OneWeb announced that their contract with Arianespace would allow them to resume satellite launch in December 2020.[62]

New CEO, launches accelerating

[edit]

In November 2020, the company announced that Neil Masterson, formerly chief operating officer at media company Thomson Reuters, had been appointed CEO.[63] The company launched 36 additional satellites on 17 December 2020.[5] Furthermore, OneWeb announced plans to accelerate launches in 2021 so that the 650 satellites necessary for global coverage would be in orbit by 2022.[64]

2021

[edit]

In January 2021, a further funding round raised $400 million from SoftBank and Hughes Network Systems, with SoftBank getting a director seat on OneWeb's board. This brought available funding to $1.4 billion, which "positions the company" to fund its first-generation fleet of 648 satellites, but would be insufficient to fund full deployment of the constellation by mid-2022. OneWeb chairman, Sunil Mittal, estimated about a further $1 billion is required, but did not anticipate difficulty in raising that.[8]

In April 2021, OneWeb launched its sixth batch of satellites to orbit. It comprised 36 units, bringing the total in-orbit constellation to 182.[65] In the same month, it was also reported that Eutelsat was putting £400M into the company, in return for a 24% equity stake.[66] Eutelsat's stake decreased to 19.3% when Bharti Global increased its holding in June 2021.[67]

In May 2021, OneWeb announced plans to buy TrustComm, a U.S.-based managed satellite communications provider. After the purchase, the company became OneWeb's government distribution partner,[68] named OneWeb Technologies.[69]

In May 2021, OneWeb's seventh launch took the number of satellites in orbit to 218, to create the second largest fleet behind Starlink.[70] By comparison Starlink had 1,700 satellites by the end of 2021.

In June 2021, Oneweb raised an additional US$500M from Bharti Global, increasing Bharti's holding to 38.6%.[71] In August 2021, Hanwha Systems invested $300 million to purchase an 8.8% share in OneWeb, enabling Hanwha to appoint one member of the board of directors and bring its own dual-use defense and satellite technology to the company.[72]

OneWeb became the founding member of Indian Space Association (ISpA). ISpA will act as bridge between Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and private industries to form the space ecosystem in India.[73]

2022 Russia controversy

[edit]

In March 2022, media reported that OneWeb was scheduled to launch a batch of 36 satellites from Baikonur cosmodrome days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. There were calls for the UK to cancel the launch. Russia said the launch had already been paid for and would not be refunded, and would be cancelled from the Russian side unless OneWeb provided additional assurance that the satellites would never be used for military purposes and the British Government disposed of its shares in the company. The British government refused this demand and the launch was cancelled, along with other Russian launches.[74][75][76][77][78][79] OneWeb tried through negotiations to get the stack of 36 satellites back, stranded in Kazakhstan due to political reasons. However, these negotiations never progressed. As OneWeb was on the verge of completing its 1st generation satellite network, they gave up hope in March 2023 on further attempts to get their satellites back, potentially scrapping the batch. The satellites were insured for $50 million, and OneWeb received the insurance money for them.[80]

SpaceX/NSIL launch services

[edit]

On 21 March 2022, OneWeb announced that it had signed a launch agreement with United States launch provider SpaceX to launch the remaining satellites on Falcon 9 rockets, with the first launch expected no earlier than summer 2022.[81][82] On 20 April 2022 OneWeb announced a similar deal with NewSpace India Limited, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation.[83] OneWeb satellites were deployed by LVM 3 both on 22 October 2022 and 26 March 2023,[84] using a lightly modified version of the satellite dispenser previously used on Soyuz.[85][86]

SpaceX was originally contracted to launch three missions for OneWeb.[87] However, an additional flight was contracted on 11 January 2023 for summer 2023 to add backup satellites in orbit.[88] Three flights have been completed so far, the first flight was back on 8 December 2022,[89] and the second was on 10 January 2023.[90] As of early March 2023, there are 584 OneWeb satellites in orbit (two of which are nonoperational),[90] with SpaceX having successfully launched its third flight for OneWeb on March 9, 2023, with a load of 40 satellites.

Merger with Eutelsat

[edit]

The merger of OneWeb with France's Eutelsat S.A. – an operator of geostationary satellites – was announced in July 2022.[91] OneWeb shareholders would receive 50% of the enlarged share capital while the British government would retain its golden share or "special share" in OneWeb itself,[92] in a transaction which valued OneWeb at US$3.4 billion (£2.8 billion).[93] The French and British governments are expected to have similar direct stakes of roughly 10% in the new joint entity as well as a seat on the board each.[94]

The board of directors' structure, when the deal is finalized in the third quarter of 2023, will have Eutelsat S.A. chairman Dominique D’Hinnin and CEO Eva Berneke retain their positions in the new company Eutelsat Group. The latter will own Eutelsat S.A and OneWeb (rebranded Eutelsat OneWeb) as subsidiaries. Sunil Bharti Mittal, representing OneWeb will be the co-chair.[95] Eutelsat Group will be headquartered in Paris, France.

Bpifrance and the French Fonds Stratégique de Participations as well as Hanwha Group and the British government are all set to appoint one director each to the new company's board.[95] Meanwhile, OneWeb and Eutelsat S.A. will respectively be allowed to appoint three and four additional directors of their choice.[95]

Intended markets

[edit]

In March 2021, OneWeb stated its market would be primarily to businesses, governments including defence, phone network operators and clusters of communities, rather than to individual domestic customers which Starlink primarily targets.[96][97] Users willing to connect were advised to contact their local telecom operator.[98]

OneWeb satellite constellation

[edit]

Initially, the OneWeb satellite constellation is planned to have 648 small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) that can provide high-speed broadband internet to rural and isolated areas.[99] As of January 2023, they have launched 544 satellites, with 542 being functional.[90] The constellation is planned for completion by the end of March 2023. OneWeb engineers will then take a few months to test the system before commercial service starts in the fourth quarter of 2023.[100]

The satellites were built by OneWeb Satellites, a joint venture between Airbus and OneWeb.[101] The satellites are in a circular orbit, at approximately 1,200 km (750 mi) altitude,[36] and transmitting and receiving in the Ku-band radio frequency.[14]

OneWeb's first six satellites were launched on a Soyuz rocket on 27 February 2019.[102] The first large batch of 34 satellites was launched on 6 February 2020,[103] and another 34 were put into orbit on 21 March 2020.[104] These were followed by more launches in 2021. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 meant that launches on the Soyuz rocket were suspended, and Arianespace had to find other launch providers for OneWeb.[87] Satellite launches resumed in quarter four of 2022 using the SpaceX Falcon 9 and the Indian LVM3 rockets.[89]

Design

[edit]

First generation

[edit]

The satellites in the OneWeb constellation are approximately 150 kg (330 lb) in mass,[38] a bit smaller than the 2015 design estimate of 150–200 kg (330–440 lb).[22][28] The 648 operational satellites are to operate in 12 near polar orbit planes at 1,200 km (750 mi) altitude, at 86.4° orbital inclination. Initially 18 orbital planes with 49 satellites per plane was planned, requiring 882 satellites plus some spares, but improved satellite coverage capability allowed this to be reduced to 12 planes of 49 satellites requiring 588 satellites plus some on-orbit spares.[105][106][107]

The first-generation satellites do not have inter-satellite data links, so can only provide a user service when also in the range of a gateway ground station.[107] As of 2023, OneWeb expect the final operational constellation to be fewer than 1,000 satellites, instead of several thousands being considered earlier. A number of next generation satellites of about 500 kg (1,100 lb) mass may be procured in the future.[108]

The satellites provide user service in the Ku-band.[14][24] Links to the gateway ground stations are in the Ka-band.[107] The satellites are designed to comply with "orbital debris-mitigation guidelines for removing satellites from orbit and, for low-orbit satellites, assuring that they re-enter the Earth's atmosphere within 25 years of retirement".[109]

Launches

[edit]
A stack of 36 OneWeb satellites ready for integration to LVM3 rocket for its 14th launch

On 27 February 2019, OneWeb successfully launched the first six of the 648 planned 1st generation satellites (600 active plus 48 on-orbit spares) into low Earth orbit from the Centre Spatial Guyanais using a Russian Soyuz ST-B rocket.[102][110]

List of launches

[edit]

In November 2019, OneWeb planned monthly launches to begin in January 2020,[111] although the first of these launches was delayed to early February 2020,[103] and bankruptcy and subsequent reorganization delayed the fourth launch to 18 December 2020.[112] Since the fourth launch, OneWeb has launched five times from Vostochny; once from Kourou; thrice from Baikonur; twice from Sriharikota and four times from Cape Canaveral, with the most recent one being on 20 May 2023. With these launches, OneWeb has taken its in-orbit mega-constellation to 634 operational satellites (2 satellites failed) that account for 97.84% operating out of 648 planned satellites[113] and making OneWeb the second largest satellite fleet in orbit. These satellites are sufficient to start operational use of the Gen 1 constellation.[114] In their latest launch a second generation demonstration satellite called "Joeysat" joined the constellation to test some technicalities of the newer satellite.

Generation 1 satellites

[edit]

Total number of operational satellites: 634 as of 20 May 2023.[129]

Generation 2 satellites

[edit]
Flight No. Date/Time (UTC) Launch complex Launch site Launch vehicle Launch agency Number deployed Outcome
1 20 May 2023[128] SLC-4E Vandenberg Space Force Base, Santa Barbara, California, USA Falcon 9 Block 5 United States SpaceX 1 (test satellite)
(Joeysat) 		Success

Active internet services

[edit]

In May 2021, OneWeb said that its then current constellation (218 spacecraft), as well as an additional 36 satellites planned to launch on 1 July 2021, would be equipped to service northern regions, including the United Kingdom, Alaska, Northern Europe, Greenland, Iceland, the Arctic Seas, and Canada, by the end of the year.[130]

The company's 648-satellite network was planned for completion by late 2022, with OneWeb making global internet services available at that time.[130] Owing to launch delays from Roscosmos (see above) the constellation was not completed until mid 2023 following three launches in the first half of the year.[131]

By the end of June 2023, services were covering most of Europe and the United States. Global coverage is expected to be available by the end of 2023 once all satellites are in their final positions and the ground stations completed.[132] As of November 2024, Morocco is set to give regulatory approval to OneWeb by 2025.[133]

Concerns

[edit]

End-of-life concerns

[edit]

With such a large number of satellites being added to the already crowded low Earth orbit, plans for handling the satellites once the operational life of each satellite is completed are an important consideration. Concerns about adding to the existing space debris problem have been expressed.[16]

With OneWeb satellites having higher orbits than the competing Starlink megaconstellation satellites (which will deorbit in ~5 years without action due to atmospheric drag), OneWeb satellites will not passively deorbit in a reasonable timeframe. As such, each OneWeb satellite has fuel allocated to be able to actively deorbit at its end of life.[134] OneWeb satellites are also equipped with an Altius DogTag magnetic grappling fixture, to make it possible for another spacecraft to attach and change the orbit of satellites whose built-in deorbit functionality fails, though there does not currently exist commercial services to carry out this active debris removal service.[135] The risk of a OneWeb satellite becoming a source of debris was determined to be <0.01, which meets NASA's Technical Standard.[136]

Interference with other Earth-bound transceivers

[edit]

OneWeb competitor, satellite fleet operator ABS, has expressed concerns about the amount of electromagnetic interference that the OneWeb constellation could add to existing terrestrial transceivers.[137]

Russian security concerns

[edit]

Vladimir Sadovnikov of the Federal Security Service (FSB) stated in 2018 that the FSB was opposed to OneWeb covering Russia, saying that OneWeb could be used for espionage purposes.[138] OneWeb's request for a frequency band was previously rejected by the Ministry for Digital Development and Communications, purportedly due to outstanding legal issues.[138] FSB also proposed increasing scrutiny on other satellite Internet equipment in Russia.[139]

Competition

[edit]

As of January 2024, the major competitor is SpaceX's Starlink satellite network with over 2 million customers. While OneWeb will only work with partner telephone companies,[140] SpaceX is also serving consumers directly.

Competition to OneWeb for producing smaller and lower-cost satellites, in general, is thought to come "from other makers of small satellites, thought to include companies such as Nevada-based Sierra Nevada Corp. and Britain's Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd." as of 2014.[19]

Amazon announced a large broadband internet satellite constellation proposal in April 2019, planning to launch up to 3,236 satellites in the next decade in what Amazon calls "Project Kuiper", a satellite constellation that will work in concert[141] with Amazon's previously announced large network of 12 satellite ground station facilities (the "AWS Ground Station unit") announced in November 2018.[142]

Historically, earlier companies that have attempted to build satellite internet service networks and provide space-based internet connections have not fared well, as these services were hobbled by high costs which consequently attracted few users. Iridium SSC filed for bankruptcy protection in 1999, Globalstar did the same in 2002, and Teledesic suspended its satellite construction work in the same year.[19]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Podcast: The satellite boom that threatens to clog the skies". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Soyuz launches 34 OneWeb satellites". SpaceNews. 21 March 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  3. ^ a b Brodkin, Jon (30 March 2020). "OneWeb goes bankrupt, lays off staff, will sell satellite-broadband business". Ars Technica. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  4. ^ a b OneWeb (8 March 2018). "OneWeb Finalizes Executive Team Appointments Leading Up to the Launch of Global Constellation and Services". PR Newswire. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  5. ^ a b c "OneWeb emerges from Chapter 11 with new CEO". BBC News. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  6. ^ "£18m for OneWeb satellite constellation to deliver global communications". UK Space Agency. 18 February 2019.
  7. ^ Yamazaki, Makiko (19 December 2016). "SoftBank to invest US$1 billion in U.S. venture OneWeb as part of US$50 billion pledge". Reuters. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Foust, Jeff (15 January 2021). "OneWeb raises US$400 million". SpaceNews. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Eutelsat and OneWeb Combination Heralds New Era in Space Connectivity as World's First GEO-LEO Operator" (Press release). Paris. 28 September 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  10. ^ Browne, Ryan; Sheetz, Michael (29 September 2023). "Eutelsat and OneWeb combine to create European satellite giant as Musk's Starlink pressures sector". CNBC. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  11. ^ "OneWeb Announces Plans to Launch a New Satellite Constellation to Bring High-Speed Internet to Underserved Areas Around the World". PR Newswire. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  12. ^ a b de Selding, Peter B. (3 September 2014). "WorldVu, a Satellite Startup Aiming To Provide Global Internet Connectivity, Continues To Grow Absent Clear Google Relationship". SpaceNews. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  13. ^ Messier, Doug (16 February 2014). "Is Google Planning Son of Teledesic?". Parabolic Arc. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  14. ^ a b c d de Selding, Peter B. (30 May 2014). "Google-backed Global Broadband Venture Secures Spectrum for Satellite Network". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 15 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  15. ^ Fernholz, Tim. "Satellite internet is a space business widow-maker—so why does Elon Musk want in? — Quartz". Quartz. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  16. ^ a b c Boucher, Marc (3 June 2014). "Will Google Build a Satellite Constellation?". SpacRef Business. Archived from the original on 16 July 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  17. ^ "Google Satellite Employee Greg Wyler Leaves Company". The Wall Street Journal. 2 August 2014. Archived from the original on 5 September 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014. A key employee leading Google Inc.'s efforts to beam Internet access from satellites has left the company and is now working closely with Space Exploration Technologies Corp. and its founder Elon Musk, according to people familiar with the matter... It isn't clear why the WorldVu team departed Google.
  18. ^ "WorldVu, a Satellite Startup Aiming To Provide Global Internet Connectivity, Continues To Grow Absent Clear Google Relationship". SpaceNews. 3 August 2014. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  19. ^ a b c d Winkler, Rolfe; Pasztor, Andy (7 November 2014). "Elon Musk's Next Mission: Internet Satellites SpaceX, Tesla Founder Explores Venture to Make Lighter, Cheaper Satellites". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  20. ^ Messier, Doug (11 November 2014). "WorldVu Satellites Issues RFP for 640 Satellites". Parabolic Arc. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  21. ^ Rolfe Winkler, "Elon Musk Confirms SpaceX Is Building Internet Satellites", The Wall Street Journal, 11/11/2014
  22. ^ a b c d de Selding, Peter B. (19 March 2015). "Competition To Build OneWeb Constellation Draws 2 U.S., 3 European Companies". SpaceNews. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  23. ^ a b Winkler, Rolfe (14 January 2015). "Greg Wyler's OneWeb Satellite-Internet Company Secures Funding". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 15 January 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  24. ^ a b c d e de Selding, Peter B. (15 January 2015). "Virgin, Qualcomm Invest in OneWeb Satellite Internet Venture". SpaceNews. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  25. ^ Petersen, Melody (16 January 2015). "Elon Musk and Richard Branson invest in satellite-Internet ventures". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  26. ^ "Skybox Imaging + Google" (Press release). Skybox Imaging. 1 August 2014. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  27. ^ "Google buys startup Skybox Imaging for US$500 million". Spaceflight Now. 10 June 2014. Archived from the original on 14 June 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  28. ^ a b "OneWeb satellite operator eyes huge rocket campaign". BBC. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  29. ^ Boyle, Alan (25 June 2015). "OneWeb Wins US$500 Million in Backing for Internet Satellite Network". NBC News. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  30. ^ de Selding, Peter B. (30 May 2014). "Google-backed Global Broadband Venture Secures Spectrum for Satellite Network". SpaceNews. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  31. ^ Clark, Stephen. "OneWeb selects Airbus to build 900 Internet satellites". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  32. ^ de Selding, Peter B. (6 July 2016). "One year after kickoff, OneWeb says its 700-satellite constellation is on schedule". SpaceNews. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  33. ^ a b c d e Pultarova, Tereza (24 February 2017). "OneWeb weighing 2,000 more satellites". SpaceNews. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  34. ^ Weir, Keith (19 December 2016). "SoftBank to invest US$1 billion in U.S. satellite venture OneWeb". Reuters. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  35. ^ Henry, Caleb (1 June 2017). "OneWeb says no steam lost despite Intelsat merger unravelling". SpaceNews. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  36. ^ a b "OneWeb Satellite Startup to Set up Manufacturing in Florida". The Wall Street Journal. 3 January 2016. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  37. ^ a b Henry, Caleb (6 February 2020). "OneWeb plans April launch break to tweak satellite design". SpaceNews. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  38. ^ a b Henry, Caleb (27 February 2019). "OneWeb's first six satellites in orbit following Soyuz launch". SpaceNews. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  39. ^ "OneWeb plans April launch break to tweak satellite design". 6 February 2020.
  40. ^ "First satellites off OneWeb's new Florida assembly line set for Launch this week". Spaceflight Now. 6 February 2020.
  41. ^ Mathewson, Samantha (24 March 2021). "Arianespace to launch new fleet of OneWeb internet satellites tonight. Here's how to watch". Space.com. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  42. ^ "OneWeb launches 36 more satellites for LEO broadband fleet". Fierce Wireless. June 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  43. ^ "OneWeb - Satellite Missions". directory.eoportal.org. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  44. ^ Hanneke, Weitering (27 February 2019). "Soyuz Rocket Will Launch the 1st OneWeb Satellites Today". Space.com. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  45. ^ "OneWeb makes history as first launch mission is a success". OneWeb. 28 February 2019. Archived from the original on 15 May 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  46. ^ "OneWeb Announces First Two Client Agreements - Start of Commercial Network Commercialisation". OneWeb. 27 February 2019. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  47. ^ Vance, Ashlee (18 March 2019). "OneWeb Raises Fresh US$1.25 Billion for Internet System From Space". Bloomberg. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  48. ^ Seal, Thomas (7 August 2019). "OneWeb Claims a Win in Internet Space Race Against Musk and Bezos". Bloomberg. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  49. ^ Clark, Stephen (30 March 2020). "OneWeb files for bankruptcy". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  50. ^ a b Oberhaus, Daniel (27 March 2020). "SpaceX Competitor OneWeb Is Reportedly Bankrupt". Wired. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  51. ^ a b Henry, Caleb (27 March 2020). "OneWeb files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy". SpaceNews. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  52. ^ "Sunil Mittal's Bharti Global, UK govt win bid for bankrupt satellite firm OneWeb". businesstoday.in. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  53. ^ a b c "UK government takes £400 million stake in satellite firm OneWeb". BBC News. 3 July 2020.
  54. ^ O'Callaghan, Jonathan. "U.K. Government Wins Controversial Bid For Bankrupt Mega Constellation Firm OneWeb". Forbes. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  55. ^ "Press release: UK government to acquire cutting-edge satellite network". gov.uk. Cabinet Office Government Digital Service. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  56. ^ "OneWeb emerges from Chapter 11 with new CEO". SpaceNews. 20 November 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  57. ^ "UK to enter satellite race after winning bid for OneWeb". Financial Times. 3 July 2020.
  58. ^ Amos, Jonathan (10 July 2020). "OneWeb sale to UK-Bharti group gets court approval". BBC News. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  59. ^ "Hughes to invest US$50 million in Bharti-UK consortium for OneWeb". thehindubusinessline.com. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  60. ^ Diver, Tony (25 September 2020). "Britain scraps satellite programme designed to replace Galileo after Brexit". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  61. ^ "Minister overrode warning about "risky" OneWeb bid". BBC News. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  62. ^ "OneWeb to resume launches in December after bankruptcy". Spaceflight Now. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  63. ^ "OneWeb satellite company launches into new era". BBC News. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  64. ^ Hollinger, Peggy (22 November 2020). "UK government buys chunk of bankrupt Starlink competitor, OneWeb". Financial Times. Retrieved 23 November 2020 – via Ars Technica.
  65. ^ Amos, Jonathan (26 April 2021). "OneWeb launches sixth batch of internet satellites". BBC News. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  66. ^ Amos, Jonathan (27 April 2021). "OneWeb receives major investment from Eutelsat". BBC News. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  67. ^ "Eutelsat ups its OneWeb stake with additional $165 million". Space News. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  68. ^ "OneWeb creating government subsidiary after buying TrustComm". SpaceNews. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  69. ^ "OneWeb completes TrustComm transaction, creating OneWeb Technologies". OneWeb. 21 September 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  70. ^ "Arianespace launches 36 OneWeb internet satellites on Soyuz rocket". Space.com. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  71. ^ "OneWeb fully-funded with new US$500m investment. Secures US$2.4 billion in total funding". oneweb.world. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  72. ^ "Korea's Hanwha Systems invests US$300 million in Bharti-backed OneWeb for 8.8% share". ET Telecom. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  73. ^ "Bharti's OneWeb, ISRO Arm Collaborate To Launch Satellite In India From 2022". Moneycontrol. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  74. ^ Oliver, Matt (2 March 2022). "Taxpayer-backed OneWeb uses Russian rockets for satellite launch". The Telegraph.
  75. ^ Titcomb, James (2 March 2022). "Kremlin holds 36 UK taxpayer-owned satellites hostage in OneWeb stand-off". The Telegraph.
  76. ^ "UK rejects Russian demand to sell satellite share". 2 March 2022.
  77. ^ Goddard, Alex Ralph. "UK rejects Russian ultimatum on OneWeb Soyuz rocket launches".
  78. ^ "Russia holds OneWeb rocket launch hostage, issues conditional demands". 2 March 2022.
  79. ^ "Russia gives update on satellite launches". Independent.co.uk. 2 March 2022.
  80. ^ a b Roulette, Joey (15 March 2023). "OneWeb 'moves on' from Soyuz-stranded satellites as its network nears completion". Reuters. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  81. ^ "OneWeb agrees satellite programme with SpaceX". OneWeb. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  82. ^ Michael Sheetz [@thesheetztweetz] (21 March 2022). "On the sidelines of #SATShow, OneWeb senior advisor Ruth Pritchard-Kelly tells press that the "soonest" the first launch with SpaceX can happen "would be this summer." "But we don't know yet" a more specific timeframe" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  83. ^ "OneWeb agrees satellite launch programme with New Space India". OneWeb. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  84. ^ "Successful launch of 36 OneWeb Satellites with ISRO/NSIL marks key milestone to enable global connectivity". OneWeb. 27 March 2023. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  85. ^ Graham, William (22 October 2022). "OneWeb resumes launches with first commercial GSLV Mk.III". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  86. ^ U, Tejonmayam (23 October 2022). "Isro's heaviest rocket successfully places 36 OneWeb satellites into orbits". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  87. ^ a b Berger, Eric (2 December 2022). "After bankruptcy and war, OneWeb turns to a competitor for help". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  88. ^ Rainbow, Jason (10 January 2023). "OneWeb two launches away from going global after SpaceX launch". Space News. Boulder, Colorado: Pocket Ventures LLC. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  89. ^ a b Rainbow, Jason (8 December 2022). "SpaceX launches 40 satellites in first of three missions for OneWeb". Space News. Boulder, Colorado: Pocket Ventures LLC. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  90. ^ a b c d Clark, Stephen (10 January 2023). "SpaceX sends 40 more OneWeb internet satellites into orbit". SpaceFlight Now. Archived from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  91. ^ "Eutelsat and OneWeb to combine: a leap forward in Satellite Connectivity". Eutelsat. 26 July 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  92. ^ Amos, Jonathan (26 July 2022). "Satellite firms Eutelsat and OneWeb aim to combine operations". BBC News. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  93. ^ "UK satellite firm OneWeb and France's Eutelsat sign initial merger deal". The Guardian. Reuters. 26 July 2022. Archived from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  94. ^ Ruberg, Sara (26 July 2022). "Deal Struck to Create European Satellite Rival to Elon Musk's Starlink". The Wall Street Journal. New York: News Corp. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  95. ^ a b c Rainbow, Jason (15 November 2022). "Eutelsat's board approves OneWeb merger". Space News. Boulder, Colorado: Pocket Ventures LLC. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  96. ^ The Satellite Business. The Bottom Line. Interviewed by Davis, Evan. BBC Radio 4. 4 March 2021. Event occurs at 16m30s. Retrieved 6 March 2021. Chris McLaughlin (OneWeb): So it is going to be price sensitive so I think a lot of what happens in LEO will be both a function of government and of defence needs, and also of connectivity for network operators, so I am not certain in OneWeb's case we will be primarily focused on broadband to every individual but rather to businesses and governments and to clusters of communities.
  97. ^ Sheetz, Michael (29 March 2021). "OneWeb CEO: Here's why our product is different than Elon Musk's SpaceX Starlink". CNBC News. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  98. ^ OneWeb Launch#7. OneWev. 28 May 2021. Event occurs at 36m17s. Retrieved 29 May 2021. It's simple: just ask your preferred local telecom operator... We are working with local telecom operators, who invest locally,.. so that we can connect users at scale.
  99. ^ "OneWeb secures investment from Softbank and Hughes Network Systems". OneWeb. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  100. ^ Foust, Jeff (23 June 2022). "OneWeb to resume launches in fourth quarter". Space News. Boulder, Colorado: Pocket Ventures LLC. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  101. ^ "What Airbus learned from building satellites with OneWeb". spacenews.com. SpaceNews. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  102. ^ a b Clark, Stephen (27 February 2019). "First six OneWeb satellites launched from French Guiana". SpaceFlight Now. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  103. ^ a b c Wattles, Jackie (6 February 2020). "The race for space-based broadband: OneWeb launches 34 more internet satellites". cnn.com. CNN. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  104. ^ a b Henry, Caleb (21 March 2020). "Soyuz launches 34 OneWeb satellites". spacenews.com. SpaceNews. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  105. ^ Mohney, Doug (7 October 2019). "OneWeb talks satellite broadband speeds, constellation configs". Space IT Bridge. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  106. ^ "Why OneWeb is Eager To Be the "Clean-up Crew of Connectivity"". SpaceNews. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  107. ^ a b c del Portillo, Inigo; Cameron, Bruce G.; Crawley, Edward F. (1 October 2018). "A Technical Comparison of Three Low Earth Orbit Satellite Constellation Systems to Provide Global Broadband" (PDF). Massachusetts Institute of Technology. IAC-18-B2.1.7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 February 2021.
  108. ^ Amos, Jonathan (11 March 2023). "OneWeb company close to taking the internet global". BBC News. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  109. ^ "OneWeb Taps Airbus To Build 900 Internet Smallsats". SpaceNews. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  110. ^ "OneWeb makes history as first launch mission is a success". OneWeb. 28 February 2019. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  111. ^ "OneWeb's first big deployment launch slips to January". SpaceNews. 8 November 2019.
  112. ^ a b "OneWeb satellite company launches into new era". BBC News. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  113. ^ "OneWeb launch opens route to commercial service". BBC News. 1 July 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  114. ^ Thompson, Amy (28 May 2021). "Arianespace launches 36 OneWeb internet satellites on Soyuz rocket". Space.com. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  115. ^ Bergin, Chris (27 February 2019). "OneWeb kick starts massive constellation with Soyuz ST-B launch". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  116. ^ "OneWeb resumes deployment of 650-satellite broadband network". Spaceflight Now. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  117. ^ Clark, Stephen (25 March 2021). "Soyuz launch adds 36 satellites to OneWeb's global internet network". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  118. ^ "Flight ST31: Arianespace successfully deploys OneWeb constellation satellites". Arianespace. 26 April 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  119. ^ "Flight ST32: Arianespace successfully deploys OneWeb constellation satellites" (Press release). Arianespace. 29 May 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  120. ^ "Flight ST33: Arianespace successfully deploys 36 OneWeb constellation satellites" (Press release). Arianespace. 1 July 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  121. ^ "Following VA254 and VV19, Flight ST34 marks Arianespace's third successful launch in less than one month" (Press release). Arianespace. 22 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  122. ^ Israël, Stéphane [@arianespaceceo] (22 August 2021). "We will be back on September 14 for our next @OneWeb launch, #ST35 - with one important milestone to @Arianespace's teams at this occasion 🤫. #MissionToSuccess" (Tweet). Retrieved 22 August 2021 – via Twitter.
  123. ^ "With Flight ST36, Arianespace sets a new mark; more than half of the OneWeb constellation now successfully deployed" (Press release). Arianespace. 14 October 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  124. ^ "India's heaviest rocket to make global foray on October 22". The New Indian Express. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  125. ^ Peter B De Selding [@pbdes] (8 July 2022). ".@OneWeb gets @ITU Ok for 8-month extension, to July 2023, to deploy Q/V-band payload after @SpaceX Falcon 9 launch in December" (Tweet). Retrieved 8 July 2022 – via Twitter.
  126. ^ Clark, Stephen (2 March 2023). "Launch Schedule". SpaceFlight Now. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  127. ^ Davenport, Justin (26 March 2023). "OneWeb completes initial constellation with launch from India". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  128. ^ a b Clark, Stephen (8 December 2022). "SpaceX delivers for rival OneWeb with sunset launch from Kennedy Space Center – Spaceflight Now". Retrieved 7 January 2023. Ladovaz said OneWeb has added one more launch with SpaceX on top of the three missions announced earlier this year. The extra launch will be a rideshare mission with Iridium, Ladovaz said Thursday.
  129. ^ "OneWeb confirms successful deployment of 16 satellites including next-generation JoeySat". OneWeb.net. 20 May 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  130. ^ a b "OneWeb surpasses 200 satellites with Soyuz launch". Spaceflight=1.0. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  131. ^ "OneWeb confirms launch schedule into 2023". PaxEx.Aero. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  132. ^ "OneWeb expands services, launches commercial service across large parts of Europe and the US". 28 June 2023.
  133. ^ "Exclusif : l'ANRT envisage l'octroi d'autorisations à Starlink et OneWeb dès 2025". Telquel.ma (in French). Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  134. ^ "OneWeb vouches for high reliability of its deorbit system". SpaceNews. 10 July 2017.
  135. ^ MacLay, Timothy; Goff, Jonathan; Sheehan, J.P.; Han, Earl (2020). "The development of commercially viable ADR services: Introduction of a small-satellite grappling interface". Journal of Space Safety Engineering. 7 (3): 364–368. Bibcode:2020JSSE....7..364M. doi:10.1016/j.jsse.2020.08.002. S2CID 208652675.
  136. ^ Brodkin, Jon (4 October 2017). "SpaceX and OneWeb broadband satellites raise fears about space debris". Ars Technica. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  137. ^ OneWeb Gets Slide Decked by Competitor at CASBAA SpaceNews, 28 October 2015, accessed 2015-10-29
  138. ^ a b Kolomychenko, Maria (24 October 2018). Balmforth, Richard; Williams, Alison (eds.). "Russia opposes U.S. OneWeb satellite service, cites security concerns". Reuters. Archived from the original on 3 March 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  139. ^ "Спутниковый интернет vs ФСБ: развитие технологий или самоизоляция?". roskomsvoboda.org. Archived from the original on 15 November 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  140. ^ Amos, Jonathan (20 November 2020). "OneWeb satellite internet company is officially reborn". BBC News. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  141. ^ Sheetz, Michael (4 April 2019). "Amazon wants to launch thousands of satellites so it can offer broadband internet from space". CNBC. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  142. ^ Sheetz, Michael (27 November 2018). "Amazon cloud business reaches into space with satellite connection service". CNBC. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://wiki.riteme.site/w/index.php?title=Eutelsat_OneWeb&oldid=1258551303#History"