UK-based satellite communications company Network Access Associated Ltd (OneWeb) on Friday said that a total of forty 40 satellites were successfully launched by SpaceX.
The launch took place at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. OneWeb is backed by India's telecom major Bharti Group. According to OneWeb, the rocket carrying the 40 satellites left the ground on Thursday. The satellites separated successfully from the rocket and were passed around using three separation groups over a period of 40 minutes.
It is to be noted that the last separation occurred an hour and 35 minutes after launch. The company said that signal addition on all 40 satellites has been confirmed. The launch is OneWeb's 17th till date. At the same time the company is set to complete its firstgeneration (Gen 1) LEO satellite constellation and enable global coverage in 2023.
OneWeb will complete global footprint of its Gen 1 constellation with a launch set to take place later this month with ISRO/NSIL. It is to be mentioned that the company till now has its 582 satellite in the orbit. Speaking about the launch, Neil Masterson, CEO of OneWeb said, "Today's launch is an exciting milestone as we are now just one mission away from completing our Gen 1 constellation, which will activate global service in 2023.
Now more than ever, OneWeb is dedicated to continuing the momentum we have garnered from the past 17 successful launches, to innovate alongside our trusted partners and deliver connectivity solutions at scale. Each launch is a group effort, and today's success would not have been possible without the dedication of the entire launch team and our partners here in Florida.”
Later this month, an Indian rocket LVM3 will carry 36 OneWeb satellites and orbit them. This will take the total number of OneWeb's low earth orbit satellites to 618.
