Greg Wyler’s global satellite broadband venture OneWeb has selected Airbus Defence and Space to build its LEO microsatellite constellation. Under the agreement, Airbus DS is to construct 900 microsatellites, each weighing less than 150 kilogrammes,…
Greg Wyler’s global satellite broadband venture OneWeb has selected Airbus Defence and Space to build its LEO microsatellite constellation.
Under the agreement, Airbus DS is to construct 900 microsatellites, each weighing less than 150 kilogrammes, for a planned launch into low Earth orbit beginning in 2018.
The design and production of the first 10 satellites will be carried out at Airbus DS’s facilities in Toulouse, with the full series production taking place at a dedicated plant located in the United States.
François Auque, head of space systems at Airbus DS, commented: “This partnership is a fantastic new chapter in our space story. Teaming with OneWeb with a requirement to produce several small satellites each day has inspired us to develop innovative designs and processes that will dramatically lower the cost in large volumes for high performance space applications.
“Without doubt, this programme is challenging but we’re ready for it because we have leveraged resources and expertise across the entire Airbus Group.”
This ability to leverage other parts of the Airbus Group business was reiterated by Brian Holz, head of space systems at OneWeb, who said: “Combining the innovation and large volume manufacturing techniques from its A350 aircraft production, with a rich history of building extremely reliable high performance space systems, Team Airbus will help us deliver the OneWeb system on time, providing reliable connectivity for our customers.”
Airbus would not comment on the terms and structure of the contract nor the development of the new US-based manufacturing facility.
OneWeb was officially launched in January 2015 with investment from chip-maker Qualcomm and the Virgin Group. The venture was formerly known as WorldVu and the idea of a global microsatellite broadband constellation has been something Greg Wyler has been developing since he founded O3b Networks.
That initial investment has been used to fund the technical feasibility of the project and develop the business plan. The company will now need to bring in additional investors to fund the construction, launch and operation of the system.
The 900 satellite deal with Airbus is also larger than the 648 satellites that OneWeb initially announced when the project was first announced, likely increasing the cost. It also means Airbus DS faces a challenging roll out schedule for the satellites.
Both the OneWeb and WorldVu plans are based on utilising Ku-band spectrum filings and regulatory scheme that were originally secured by Skybridge LP. Under the name L5, Wyler made a number of ITU filings between late 2012 and December 2013 to use that spectrum. The regulatory deadline for launching satellites which utilise this spectrum is November 2019 (for the 2012 applications) and June 2020 (for the 2013 applications).
In an interview with SatelliteFinance in February 2015, Wyler spoke about there needing to be a sea change in the viewpoint of the satellite community towards volume production and efficiencies of scale. He added that because the company had carried out a huge amount of work on the design of the satellites, as well as the system architecture and the gateways, he believed the actual construction of the satellites should take place reasonably quickly.
