OneWeb launches more satellites to cope up with net demand amid coronavirus

UK satellite internet company OneWeb said that it has launched 34 more satellites into the orbit aboard a Soyuz launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The satellites are said to have separated from the rocket and were sent across in nine batches with the signal acquisition expected to take place in the coming hours, said the global communications company.

The satellite internet company said that this is the second of its 34 satellite launches in six weeks to take the total number of satellites in the constellation to 74. It is also the third successful launch for the company over the past year.

OneWeb said that it has now deployed and tested satellites successfully, installed ground stations across the world, secured spectrum and has a variety of user terminals in development to cope up with the needs of its customers.

The satellite internet company said that in the execution phase of its system deployment, it looks forward to bring its services to markets including maritime and aviation, and working with carriers to offer services across rural and remote areas.

OneWeb launches 34 more satellites to cope up with internet demand amid coronavirus. Photo courtesy of ONEWEB.WORLD.

OneWeb indicated that the prevailing health and economic crisis caused by the coronavirus outbreak, highlights the tremendous requirement and demand for connectivity, in particular from the rural and under-connected communities across the world.

The satellite internet provider said that from remote working to online learning, to accessing healthcare information and medical advice, there is a huge requirement to have more solutions available to connect people everywhere.

Adrian Steckel – CEO of OneWeb said: “In these unprecedented times following the global outbreak of COVID-19, people around the world find themselves trying to continue their lives and work online. We see the need for OneWeb, greater now more than ever before. High-quality connectivity is the lifeline to enabling people to work, continue their education, stay up to date on important healthcare information and stay meaningfully connected to one another.

“The crisis has demonstrated the imperative need for connectivity everywhere and has exposed urgent shortcomings in many organizations’ connectivity capabilities. Our satellite network is poised to fill in many of these critical gaps in the global communications infrastructure.”