Paris-based satellite operator Eutelsat, which already has some 654 of its OneWeb satellites in low Earth orbit, is ordering another 100 satellites from Airbus Defence & Space.
The new satellites will be built at the Airbus plant in Toulouse, and – perhaps surprisingly – not at the Airbus-owned OneWeb factory in Florida. The factory, Airbus OneWeb Satellites, was a 50/50 partnership between Airbus and Eutelsat but Airbus bought out Eutelsat’s stake earlier this year.
Eutelsat says that the first batch of the new satellites will be delivered at the end of 2026 and are designed to replenish the existing fleet. They will be good for 5G connectivity and contain other key technology updates as well as being ready for connectivity with the upcoming IRIS2 fleet. They will orbit at 1,200 kms.
“Airbus manufactured all of the current OneWeb satellite fleet. We are committed to the successful continuation of the OneWeb constellation and to keep serving the business of Eutelsat as we have done over the past decades,” commented Alain Fauré, head of Space Systems at Airbus Defence and Space.
These new satellites will not be the fully upgraded ‘next generation’ 264-craft OneWeb satellites called for under the IRIS2 project announced earlier this week. Eutelsat is putting some €2 billion into the IRIS2 scheme’s satellites. They are best described as being Version 1.5 compared to the existing fleet and Eutelsat describes them as “paving the way” for the IRIS2 constellation.
This upgrade with Airbus “will ensure we deliver continuity of service of the existing constellation with enhanced service features, as we move towards an architecture in line with the IRIS² constellation in 2030,” Eutelsat CEO Eva Berneke said. “Our in-market experience shows us that the appetite for low Earth orbit capacity is growing rapidly, and we are excited to embark on the next stage of our journey to satisfy that demand.”
Today’s existing OneWeb fleet have design lifetimes of between five and seven years in orbit. The very first OneWeb satellites (34) were launched on February 27th 2019 by a Russian-built Soyuz rocket. These 2019 launches must now be considered vulnerable given the 5-7 year lifetime. Around 11-12 per cent of the OneWeb fleet would probably not last beyond 2027, hence these extra members of the fleet.
