- OneWeb plans to launch a fleet of 648 LEO satellites as part of its high-speed, low-latency global connectivity and the current launch increased its total LEO satellite count to 218.
- The satellites are built under a joint venture between OneWeb and the aerospace company, Airbus.
Key points:
i.This launch is a part of its ‘five to 50’ programme, which is meant to bring satellite-based broadband Internet to countries like the UK, Alaska, US, Northern Europe, Greenland, Iceland, the Arctic seas, and Canada by 2022.
ii.OneWeb had launched a previous wave of 36 satellites from the same spaceport in March 2021.
Recent Investments in OneWeb:
i.Currently, the total investments in the company is at $1.9 billion.
ii.In April 2021, a French geostationary satellite operator, Eutelsat invested $550 million (~Rs 4,103 crore) in OneWeb and acquired a 24 percent stake in it.
iii.In January 2021 Japan’s SoftBank Group and Hughes Network Systems LLC had invested $400 million in OneWeb.
iv.The company plans to enter the Indian boundaries in 2022 either by merging with a company to form a joint venture or by leasing a bandwidth capacity pact.
Recent Related News:
Nettle Infrastructure Investments, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bharti Airtel has acquired 100% stake (10, 000 shares) in OneWeb India Communications Pvt Ltd.
About Bharti Global:
Bharti Global is the overseas arm of Bharti Enterprises — the holding company of Bharti Airtel, India’s second-largest telco.
Headquarters – New Delhi
Chairman – Sunil Bharti Mittal
About OneWeb:
Establishment – 2020
Headquarters – London, United Kingdom
Executive Chairman – Sunil Bharti Mittal
CEO – Neil Masterson