Eutelsat has ordered 229 additional OneWeb satellites from Airbus to support the continued operation and expansion of its Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network. The announcement was made during the International Space Summit in Paris 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 covering the initial industrial activities for the 229 satellites. The new order comes in addition to 440 satellites already procured from Airbus, taking the total number of new OneWeb satellites to be manufactured by Airbus to 669.
The additional satellites are intended to support service continuity across the OneWeb constellation and progressively replace earlier satellites as they approach the end of their operational lives. The satellites will be manufactured at Airbus Defence and Space’s facility in Toulouse, which is already producing and delivering earlier batches of OneWeb satellites.
Eutelsat’s OneWeb network provides high-speed, low-latency connectivity through a constellation of more than 600 satellites operating in 12 synchronised orbital planes at an altitude of about 1,200 kilometres. The new satellites will help maintain the availability of the network for customers while supporting the company’s longer-term LEO connectivity plans.
The new batch will incorporate the features of previous OneWeb satellites as well as improvements developed during the programme. These include advanced digital channelisers designed to improve onboard processing, efficiency and flexibility. The satellites will also have the capability to accommodate hosted payloads in addition to the OneWeb Ku-band mission.
Jean-François Fallacher, Chief Executive Officer, Eutelsat, said, “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.”
Alain Fauré, Head of Space Systems at Airbus Defence and Space, said the order reflects the development of the OneWeb satellite programme and Airbus’ manufacturing capabilities. “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!” he said.
The order extends the manufacturing programme at Airbus’ Toulouse facility and supports continued production of OneWeb satellites for Eutelsat’s global connectivity network. The company said the additional spacecraft will contribute to maintaining network capacity as earlier-generation satellites are gradually replaced.
