Today 36 additional OneWeb internet satellites launched from the Russian spaceport Vostochny. A dispenser from RUAG Space placed the 36 satellites in orbit, bringing the satellite fleet to 358.
On Thursday, October 14, OneWeb launched 36 additional broadband internet satellites aboard a Soyuz launch vehicle from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia. OneWeb is building a communications network with a constellation of low-Earth-orbit satellites that will deliver internet access around the world. This latest successful launch brings OneWeb’s total in-orbit constellation to 358 satellites, more than half of OneWeb’s entire 648 satellite fleet that will deliver high-speed, low-latency global connectivity.
More than 350 OneWeb satellites deposited
As a key supplier to OneWeb’s manufacturing factory, Airbus OneWeb Satellites, RUAG Space built the satellite dispenser, which functions as an interface between the Soyuz rocket and satellites. The dispenser deposited the 36 satellites safely into space. “Our dispenser is super-light and includes state-of-the-art technology to safely place the satellites in orbit,” says Holger Wentscher, Senior Vice President Program Launchers at RUAG Space. Airbus OneWeb Satellites—a joint venture between OneWeb and Airbus—is OneWeb’s industrial partner and leads the design and manufacturing of OneWeb’s fleet of satellites. The RUAG Space dispensers for OneWeb are built in Linköping, Sweden. Each dispenser has a 1.7 metre central cylinder structure and a height of 5.5 metres.
Satellite back-bone from RUAG Space
RUAG Space also manufactured the OneWeb satellite back-bone (structure) in Titusville, Florida. The structures are manufactured using the Automated Potting Process, a production method that uses a pick and place machine to rapidly position special inserts filled with adhesive into the satellite structure’s sandwich panels.
Thermal insulation and transport containers
In Austria, RUAG Space produced the multi-layer thermal insulation which protects the OneWeb satellites against the cold and heat in space from approx. minus 150°C to plus 150°C (-238 degrees F to 302 degrees F). The insulation consists of several layers of metal-evaporated polyimide film. RUAG Space in Austria also built handle equipment and transport containers. The high-tech, custom satellite containers are used to transport the assembled OneWeb satellites from Florida to the launch sites. The containers are equipped with a specifically designed damping system and climate-control.
About RUAG Space
RUAG Space is the leading supplier to the space industry in Europe, and has a growing presence in the United States. Around 1,300 employees across six countries (Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Germany, USA and Finland) develop and manufacture products for satellites and launch vehicles—for both the institutional and commercial space market. RUAG Space is part of RUAG International, a Swiss technology group, which is divided into four divisions: Space, Aerostructures, MRO International and Ammotec. Visit www.ruag.com/space, or view our RUAG Space product portfolio video: https://youtu.be/qNbSjUdlXxQ
