OneWeb, the new constellation of low earth orbit satellites for Internet access, has taken another step towards launch.
Airbus Defence and Space has been selected to supply OneWeb with 900 150-kilogram satellites, with the first deliveries in time for 2018 launch of the new fleet of satellites to support Internet access. .
The company said the first 10 satellites would be built at Airbus’s Toulouse, France, facility, with the rest of the constellation built at a factory in the United States.
Presumably, the 900 satellites represents a full orbiting constellation of 700 satellites in low earth orbit and 200 spares.
OneWeb was reportedly looking for a satellite cost per unit of less than half a million dollars.