Arianespace put 36 OneWeb satellites into orbit on 27 December after its Soyuz rocket launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, bringing the size of the fleet in orbit to 394. This represents over 60 percent of OneWeb’s planned 648 Leo satellite fleet that will deliver high-speed, low-latency global connectivity.
Flight ST37 was the 63rd Soyuz mission carried out by Arianespace, the 37th with its Starsem affiliate, and the 12th mission for OneWeb. The mission lasted three hours and 45 minutes. The 36 satellites were deployed during nine separation sequences, at an altitude of 450 km.
The launch was the first time Soyuz delivered 36 satellites, instead of the usual 34, from the Baikonour Cosmodrome. This improvement of the efficiency of the flight will allow Arianespace to better serve the needs of OneWeb. To obtain this result, the team worked to improve every step in the plan, from the manufacturing process to launch vehicle integration and mission programming.
The satellite prime contractor is OneWeb Satellites, a joint venture of OneWeb and Airbus Defence and Space. The satellites were produced in Florida, in its satellite manufacturing facilities that can build up to two satellites per day on a series production line dedicated to spacecraft assembly, integration, and testing.
