Arianespace will launch 34 satellites plus OneWeb into orbit with Soyuz

Scheduled for February 10 at 03:09 p.m. local time (06:09 p.m. UTC), Soyuz flight VS27 Arianespace will mark the first flight of the year for the European launch service provider putting 34 OneWeb satellites into orbit at an altitude of 450 kilometers.

The duration of the mission, which is scheduled to launch from the Soyuz Launch Complex (ELS) in Sinnamary (French Guiana), will be 3 hours and 33 minutes and will include nine separations of the satellites, after which they will rise to their operational orbit.

This thirteenth release of OneWeb will provide high-speed, low-latency connectivity services to a wide range of customer sectors, such as aviation, shipping and backhaul services, as well as governments and emergency response services, among others. The main objective of OneWeb is to bring connectivity to all places that fiber optics do not reach and, therefore, reduce the digital divide.

Once deployed, the OneWeb constellation will work with user terminals capable of offering 3G, LTE, 5G and Wi-Fi coverage, providing high-speed access globally, by air, sea and land.

Upcoming OneWeb missions through 2022 will allow for the start of OneWeb global services this year.

OneWeb Satellites, a joint venture between OneWeb and Airbus Defence and Space, is the main contractor for the constellation. The satellites were built thanks to its state-of-the-art satellite manufacturing process, which can build up to two satellites per day on a serial production line dedicated to satellite assembly, integration and testing.

The 34 OneWeb satellites on flight VS27 will be the 561st to 594th satellites in the constellation launched by Arianespace and will bring the number of satellites launched on Soyuz from the CSG to more than 100.