Eutelsat orders 229 satellites to strengthen OneWeb

During the International Space Summit in Paris, Eutelsat announced an order for 229 additional satellites from Airbus to further strengthen its OneWeb constellation. The announcement was made in the presence of Philippe Baptiste, France’s Minister of Higher Education, Research and Space.

Eutelsat has signed an Authorisation to Proceed (ATP) with Airbus Defence and Space for the initial industrial activities related to the production of these 229 satellites. These will be in addition to the 440 satellites already procured from Airbus, which are due for delivery and launch soon. The latest order will bring the total number of new OneWeb satellites manufactured by Airbus to 669, supporting and enhancing the continuity of services across the OneWeb constellation.

The satellites will be manufactured at Airbus Defence and Space’s Toulouse facility, which is already producing and delivering the previous batches. This will enable continuity in production and ensure a rapid and consistent delivery rate.

Eutelsat’s OneWeb Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network provides high-speed, low-latency connectivity globally. With more than 600 satellites operating across 12 synchronised orbital planes at an altitude of 1,200 km above Earth, the constellation provides high-speed internet connectivity worldwide. The latest satellites will help ensure full operational continuity for OneWeb customers by progressively replacing the early batches of satellites as they reach the end of their operational lives.

This new batch will incorporate all the features of the previous satellites, along with improvements developed throughout the programme. Notably, they will feature advanced digital channelisers, enhancing onboard processing capabilities, efficiency and flexibility, as well as the ability to carry hosted payloads alongside the OneWeb Ku-band mission.

“This is an exciting next step for OneWeb and for Eutelsat’s LEO strategy. With the first satellites from the 440 due for delivery and launch soon, our replenishment programme is moving forward. The planned addition of 229 more satellites will further strengthen OneWeb, while IRIS² will bring significant new capacity and capabilities. Together, they give us a powerful roadmap to serve our customers, grow our LEO business and reinforce our role at the heart of Europe’s sovereign connectivity future,” said Jean-François Fallacher, Chief Executive Officer,  Eutelsat.

“This new contract from Eutelsat highlights the maturity of our product, the excellence of our supply chain and their trust in our industrial know-how for high rate satellite manufacturing for large-scale LEO constellations. This is also a further step for European sovereignty, for which Airbus and Eutelsat have been key partners for decades!” said Alain Fauré, Head of Space Systems, Airbus Defence and Space.