Eutelsat Adds 340 Satellites to OneWeb Refresh Backlog

Eutelsat will acquire an additional 340 LEO satellites from Airbus to keep its OneWeb constellation in service. With the deal, Eutelsat now holds contracts for the replacement of two-thirds of the on-orbit network.

We are pleased to rely on our long-standing partner, Airbus, for the procurement of these latest satellites. They ensure service continuity for the growing number of our customers and distribution partners benefiting from the unparalleled performance of our ubiquitous, low latency LEO capacity, and enable us to pursue our growth path.

– Jean-François Fallacher, Eutelsat Chief Executive Officer

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Manufacturing Moves

Notably, Airbus will manufacture the satellites on a newly-activated assembly line at its facility in Toulouse. The initial batch were assembled in a purpose-built, jointly-operated facility in Florida. Not building the satellites in that same facility speaks volumes.

The recapitalization of OneWeb in 2020 came with calls from the UK government (a major investor) to shift manufacture of the satellites to Britain. That was something of a fool’s errand at the time, given the need to quickly produce and launch the satellites to bring the initial network online. This time around, however, Eutelsat and Airbus have the necessary time and motivation to make the move.

The Airbus version of the otherwise identical press releases explicitly calls out the shift in manufacturing as “a further step for European sovereignty.” No doubt the move speaks to the geopolitical challenges of today.

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Increased Performance

The companies also promise updates to the hardware, “including advanced digital channelizers, enabling enhanced onboard processing capabilities as well as greater efficiency and flexibility.” These updates also expose the opportunity for hosted payloads on board. Iridium similarly pursued a hosted payload option with its LEO constellation refresh, providing an additional revenue stream for the company.

Eutelsat’s announcement does not, however, mention inter-satellite links on board. With its significant ground station network Eutelsat can provide nearly global coverage via the OneWeb network without the links. The location of some ground stations and associated latency with backhaul proved challenging in some use cases.

The original OneWeb business plan called for a true second generation of satellites to augment and replace the initial constellation. The lack of ISLs and minimal other changes suggests these replacement satellites are very much an incremental update to the technology stack, not a true v2 plan for the constellation.

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The replacement satellites are needed given the age of the hardware in orbit. OneWeb’s initial constellation launched at the beginning of the decade with an estimated 7-ish year lifespan. Bankruptcy and the loss of access to its primary launch contractor, followed by a replacement contract with SpaceX, led to delays in activation of the satellite connectivity solution. But the replacement cycle cannot be afforded similar delays while maintaining continuity of service to the company’s commercial and government customers.

Airbus is expected to begin delivery of the new satellites from the end of 2026.