New satellites sent by SpaceX on Thursday, 08, for OneWeb. Unlike usual, the new shipment was not to enlarge the constellation that serves as a signal for Starlink, which belongs to the company.
40 satellites have been deployed in low orbit to serve Starlink’s competitor, OneWeb, which is also a SpaceX partner.
Recall that Starlink, a satellite internet provider, is part of the domain of SpaceX, the company of millionaire Elon Musk. However, recently, the big teleport company has partnered with another internet provider.
The launch took place as agreed in March, when OneWeb was denied use of a Russian Soyuz rocket. To carry 40 satellites, SpaceX used the Falcon 9 rocket, which was launched from the Kennedy Space Center located in Cape Canaveral in the United States.
All satellites have been successfully positioned, OneWeb claims. Thus, the company now has a constellation of 502 low-orbit satellites, which is 80% of the forecast for the first generation of the fleet. The plan is to offer global coverage in 2023.
With this new batch of satellites in orbit, the internet provider will complete the coverage it offers in the United States, the European continent, and some parts of the Middle East and Asia. In addition, parts of Antarctica and the 35th parallel, as well as parts of South America, southern Australia and southern Africa, will benefit.
The OneWeb has the UK government among its shareholders and has been awarded a 15-year license to operate in Brazil🇧🇷 With this launch, the company reaches its 15th mission, and since the last snag with Russia, it has partnered with launchers, such as SpaceX.
