Page 44 - BNE_magazine_03_2020 wellness

44 I Eurasia bne March 2020
The Soyuz rocket took up 34 satellites that were dispensed into orbit in nine batches.
OneWeb’s big satellite launch at
Kazakh cosmodrome steps up race
with Bezos, Musk to offer high-speed
internet “everywhere”
Kanat Shaku in Almaty
UK global communications company OneWeb early on February 7 launched 34 satellites from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan as part of its plan to provide high-speed internet to “everyone everywhere” worldwide.
The satellites successfully separated from the Soyuz rocket and were dispensed in nine batches over a period of several hours, OneWeb said. The British start-up is in a race with other enterprises, including companies backed by entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, to provide internet access using satellites. The company has attracted
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around $1.7bn from the Airbus Group, Coca-Cola, Virgin Group, Qualcomm and Softbank to deploy its satellite network.
“Importantly, today’s mission also brings us closer to our next step, realizing
our ultimate vision of providing
access to high speed, reliable internet to everyone, everywhere,” CEO of OneWeb, Adrian Steckel, said following the launch. “We are seeing considerable interest from prospective customers and partners. Later this year, we will provide service in the Arctic region and 2021 will see OneWeb achieve global coverage, making the digital divide
a thing of the past.”
The company plans to this year carry out eight launches at Baikonur Cosmodrome to create a global satellite network of 504 satellites in 12 orbit planes at an altitude of 1,200 km. The number of satellites is expected to eventually reach 648. Full commissioning of the satellite network, including its operation and maintenance, is expected by end-2021. OneWeb launched six satellites from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, in February last year.
Success hinges on Soyuz rockets deal
The success of the project depends in large part on Russian partners after OneWeb signed an agreement with