spacetoday.net: OneWeb selects Airbus for satellite construction deal

Posted: Fri, Jun 19, 2015, 7:46 PM ET (2346 GMT)
OneWeb satellite (Airbus Defence and Space)

OneWeb, the venture planning a constellation of hundreds of low Earth orbit communications satellites, announced this week it has selected Airbus Defence and Space to build those satellites. Airbus said June 15 it won an agreement to build up to 900 satellites for OneWeb. The value of the deal, not yet a full contract, was not disclosed. Each satellite will weigh about 150 kilograms and, except for the first ten to be built in France, will be constructed at a dedicated plant in the US. OneWeb announced plans for its satellite constellation earlier this year, providing high-speed Internet access to underserved areas. It is competing with existing terrestrial and satellite providers as well as new ventures, like a proposed broadband satellite system from SpaceX.