Eutelsat Group has announced the successful launch and deployment of 20 new satellites, expanding its OneWeb satellite constellation in low Earth orbit (LEO).
The satellites, launched aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, at 10:13 p.m. local time on October 19, 2024.
The deployment, which took place over a 20-minute period, saw the satellites successfully separate from the spacecraft in 10 batches, with signal acquisition confirmed for all. The satellites were designed by Airbus US Space & Defense in Merritt Island, Florida.
“These satellites are designed to strengthen the services provided by our network and to offer our customers ever-improving performance,” Eva Berneke, CEO of Eutelsat Group, commented.
The launch coincides with the anniversary of the 2023 merger between Eutelsat and OneWeb, creating the world’s only combined GEO-LEO satellite operator, with a fleet of 35 geostationary satellites and a low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation of over 634 satellites.