OneWeb to restart launches, ahead of commercial service in 2021
OneWeb is being delivered from bankruptcy by Indian telecom Barti Global and the UK government and plans to resume satellite launches in December with the majority of the fleet active by the end of 2022. OneWeb intends to begin commercial service by the end of 2021 with a portion of the fleet in regions including the UK, Alaska, northern Europe, Greenland, Iceland, the Arctic seas and Canada.
OneWeb entered bankruptcy with 74 satellites in orbit which will expand to 110 with the December launch OneWeb’s launch partner Arianespace will leverage a Russian-developed Soyuz rocket at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia for the December 2020 launch.Further launches will be from Kazakhstan and French Guiana. The contract for the launch relies on the bankruptcy rescue receiving approval.
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