Bharti Enterprises-owned OneWeb on Thursday launched 40 more satellites into the orbit with Elon Musk-owned spacecraft manufacturing company SpaceX from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The new satellites will help One Web expand internet services across the US, Europe, much of the Middle East and Asia, South Africa, southern Australia, and parts of South America.
With this launch, One Web’s total fleet in space has now risen to 502 satellites.
The company has almost 80% of its first-generation constellation completed with only three more launches now remaining to reach global coverage, it said.
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“This launch is an immensely gratifying way to close out 2022, bringing OneWeb another step closer to activating our space-based connectivity globally and reflecting the shared ambition and collective goodwill that is driving the satellite communications industry,” said Neil Masterson, chief executive officer of OneWeb.
The company already provides connectivity solutions in Alaska, Canada, the UK, Greenland and wider Arctic area, and covering unserved and underserved rural and remote communities for internet connectivity.
In India too, the company has got licence to provide satellite-based broadband services that are expected to be launched next year.
In October, One Web had launched 36 satellites from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in collaboration with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL).