Airbus to make 100 OneWeb 5G LEO satellites in Iris2 move
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Airbus Defence and Space is to build the extension of the OneWeb Low Earth Orbit (LEO) broadband satellite constellation for Eutelsat.
Airbus will build the first batches of the extension, totalling 100 satellites, with delivery targeted from the end of 2026. The next generation design includes 5G on-ground integration and ensure technology architecture compatibility with Europe’s €10bn IRIS2 multi-orbit constellation, where contracts were signed this week.
OneWeb was bought by Eutelsat last year, and will need to replace its constellation of 634 LEO satellites as Eutelsat is moving to architecture used by Iris2 where Eutelsat is one of the main operators.
Earlier this year Airbus bought the 50% share of the Airbus OneWeb Satellites (AOS) joint venture with Eutelsat OneWeb to make it the sole owner of AOS and the satellite manufacturing facility in Merritt Island, Florida. This has been retooled the to accommodate the Airbus Arrow450 production line and is expanding to meet increased demand for small satellites from commercial and government customers.
However all 100 new satellites will be built at the Airbus site in Toulouse. Production is expected to start in 2026. This comes as Space business is taking the brunt of job cuts in the Airbus group.
“Airbus manufactured all of the current OneWeb satellite fleet. We are committed to the successful continuation of the OneWeb constellation and to keep serving the business of Eutelsat as we have done over the past decades,” said Alain Fauré, Head of Space Systems at Airbus Defence and Space.
“We are relying on our long-standing partner, Airbus, to begin building the first batches of the Next Generation of our OneWeb LEO constellation, which will ensure we deliver continuity of service of the existing constellation with enhanced service features, as we move towards an architecture in line with the European IRIS2 constellation in 2030,” said Eva Berneke, Chief Executive Officer of the Eutelsat Group.
“Our in-market experience shows us that the appetite for low Earth orbit capacity is growing rapidly, and we are excited to embark on the next stage of our journey to satisfy that demand.”
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