Resuming active deployment, OneWeb, a constellation satellite service provider, has successfully launched 36 additional satellites to augment its current orbital network. This recent deployment represents the third substantial delivery of OneWeb satellites, following an initial launch of six satellites in 2019, and subsequent launches of 34 satellites each in February and March of this year. The company subsequently encountered financial challenges, leading to a bankruptcy filing in March, from which it successfully emerged in July through a financial agreement supported by both the U.K. government and Bharti Global. To put it simply, OneWeb has experienced a particularly eventful year.

The launch originated from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, utilizing a Russian Soyuz-2.1b rocket for the journey. This marks the first commercial launch to occur from Vostochny (previous commercial launches managed by Roscosmos were conducted from the Baikonur Cosmodrome), and its location allowed OneWeb to deploy 36 satellites rather than the previously planned 34, due to its advantageous positioning relative to the desired orbital plane.

OneWeb is developing a network of satellites in low-Earth orbit designed to deliver high-speed connectivity for terrestrial networks. The company’s ultimate goal is to establish a constellation of 648 satellites in orbit, and it plans to accelerate its launch schedule to reach this target by 2022, enabling the provision of worldwide network access to its clientele.

Achieving full operational capacity is crucial for OneWeb to begin generating income from its services. The company also faces competition from significant, financially robust LEO networks being developed by SpaceX and Amazon — however, Amazon’s Dave Limp recently stated during TC Sessions: Space that the LEO broadband market has the potential to support multiple successful companies, given the substantial global demand for reliable, high-performance connectivity.

Although the partnership with Bharti and the U.K. facilitated OneWeb’s recovery from bankruptcy, Sunil Mittal, Bharti’s founder and chairman, indicated earlier this week that the company will likely require a total of $2.5 billion to complete its constellation, with half of this funding coming from the U.K./Bharti partnership.