page_title: OneWeb satellite constellation
section_title: Manufacturing and constellation rollout
hierarchical_section_title: OneWeb satellite constellation / Manufacturing and constellation rollout
caption_attribution_description: English: Facility was recently built for the manufacturing and mass production of the large 600+ sat OneWeb satellite internet constellation. Located in Exploration Park, leased from Space Florida. February 2019. Русский: Завод по производству спутников OneWeb, Мерритт-Айленд (Флорида), 2019.
context_page_description: The OneWeb satellite constellation was a planned initial 650-satellite constellation that was in the process of being completed in 2019–2020, with a goal to provide global satellite Internet broadband services to people everywhere and was previously aiming to provide global services starting in 2021. The constellation was being deployed by OneWeb, formerly known as WorldVu Satellites and headquartered in London, United Kingdom with offices in California, Florida, Virginia, Dubai and Singapore.
  OneWeb declared bankruptcy in late March 2020 and has laid off most of their employees, but is maintaining the satellite operations center for the 68 satellites already in orbit while the court determines the disposition of the OneWeb assets.
  In total 74 satellites were launched before the bankruptcy. The first six test satellites were launched in February 2019; the first large batch of 34 satellites was launched in February 2020, another 34 satellites were put into orbit in March 2020.
  The small satellites were built by OneWeb Satellites, a joint venture between Airbus and OneWeb.
context_section_description: The constellation was originally announced in June 2014 to be just half of the total of approximately 720 satellites. A quarter of the satellites were to make up the initial constellation, and these would operate in the lower of the two proposed orbits, at approximately 850 kilometres (530 mi). The initial constellation would presumably be raised or lowered into its final orbital altitude of either 800 kilometres (500 mi) or 950 kilometres (590 mi) as consumer and business use of the broadband service grows over time. By early 2015, OneWeb indicated that the first launches would occur no earlier than 2017.
  In February 2016, OneWeb announced that they would set up an assembly and test facility in Florida with plans to assemble and launch the majority of the satellites by the end of 2019, while manufacturing an additional 250 of the 140 kg-satellites as spares to be used in later years.
  By the time the actual orbital deployment of the constellation began, in February 2019, the planned constellation size had settled once again at 648, near the original projection, with 600 active satellites with 48 on-orbit spares. Each satellite costs £830,000 (around US$1 million) to build.
  In January 2020, OneWeb reached a production rate of two satellites per day. In February 2020, the company launched its first large batch of satellites.
caption: OneWeb satellite manufacturing facility in Merritt Island, Florida
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