OneWeb has announced the successful launch of 34 satellites aboard a Soyuz launch vehicle from Kazakhstan.

The company’s second successful launch will help build its phase one constellation of 648 satellites designed to deliver high-speed, low-latency global internet connectivity.

The communications company is on schedule to provide global coverage to customers in 2021, starting with the first commercial services in the Arctic this year. This follows OneWeb both securing global priority spectrum rights and launching its first batch of satellites in 2019.

Chief executive Adrian Steckel said: “The successful manufacture, delivery and launch of this batch of 34 satellites is the latest proof point of the OneWeb plan.

“We are seeing considerable interest from prospective customers and partners,” he continued. “Later this year, we will provide service in the arctic region and 2021 will see OneWeb achieve global coverage, making the digital divide a thing of the past.”

Last March, OneWeb secured $1.25 billion in new capital from the likes of SoftBank Group, Grupo Salinas, Qualcomm Technologies, bringing total funds raised to $3.4 billion.

Share Story: