One Web is ahead of SpaceX in deploying the Internet satellite network
On February 28, a Russian Soyuz-ST-B launch vehicle with six British OneWeb satellites was launched from the Kourou cosmodrome (French Guiana) on February 28. The launch went smoothly, placing the first six OneWeb satellites in circular orbit at an altitude of 1000 km. The launch itself was postponed several times and one of the reasons was the break in the seam of the helium supply pipeline to the fuel tanks.
The OneWeb project involves the creation of a group of 650-900 satellites to ensure uninterrupted access to the Internet around the world, with an emphasis on accessibility for those who live in remote regions. Assuming that the first six OneWeb spacecraft are nominally already in orbit, then the first phase of the company could be completed by the end of 2020 or the beginning of 2021. At the same time, the beginning of the service is expected
Compared to OneWeb, a similar Starlink project from SpaceX (even at the earliest stages) assumes a much larger scale, offering 2-7 times more spacecraft and a total bandwidth, which is likely to be even greater. SpaceX has applied for 4,400 satellites. This is partly why Starlink satellites and related infrastructure are likely to be more complex and expensive for mass production and operation. Combined with laser communication systems between satellites that can make Starlink truly revolutionary, it remains to be seen whether these innovations will pay off.
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Due to the relative simplicity and smaller mass of the OneWeb satellite, as well as the partnership with the industrial giant Airbus Defense and Space and the partial completion of the establishment of the satellite manufacturing plant in Florida, OneWeb is surely a few steps ahead of SpaceX, at least with regard to early commercial launch. operation. SpaceX has already gained experience operating its first two demonstration satellites - known as Tintin A and B - for a whole year in orbit, but all that is known about the first Starlink operational launches is that CEO Ilon Musk is determined to begin deploying the group no later than June 2019. At the end of last year, Ilon Musk, not satisfied with the pace of development and testing of satellites, fired 7 top managers who were responsible for the Starlink direction.
The many open positions and insider information from various sources indicate that Starlink is largely focused on deploying satellite production after several years of development. It is unclear whether a second set of prototype satellites is planned, which Musk had previously hinted at, several months after the debut of the first pair of satellites, in February 2018.
Production of One Web satellites.
In addition to the satellites themselves, potential global Internet constellation operators have to solve an equally important and challenging task: the development of a high-performance and low-cost user terminal, antenna, and associated electronics, which turn spacecraft signals into an affordable and reliable Internet connection. SpaceX’s work in this direction didn’t make any loud statements, while OneWeb founder Greg Wyler recently began to disclose the details and wrote on Twitter that his team created a $ 15 prototype antenna capable of supporting data transmission at 20–60 Mbps.
Meanwhile, the encouraging success of the company's first launch paved the way for the first full-fledged launch of the OneWeb spacecraft. From 32 to 36 satellites can be installed on the Russian launch vehicle "Soyuz-2" with the direct participation of Arianespace. OneWeb has a contract for 21 launches of Soyuz-2 launch vehicles, with an average rate of one launch per month in the period between the first operational launch and the completion of a constellation of 650 satellites of first-phase satellites. Shortly after the first launch was completed, Arianespace CEO Stefan Israel announced that he had struck a deal with OneWeb about the first two launches of the Ariane 6 rocket, which should debut as early as 2020.
A source
The OneWeb project involves the creation of a group of 650-900 satellites to ensure uninterrupted access to the Internet around the world, with an emphasis on accessibility for those who live in remote regions. Assuming that the first six OneWeb spacecraft are nominally already in orbit, then the first phase of the company could be completed by the end of 2020 or the beginning of 2021. At the same time, the beginning of the service is expected
Compared to OneWeb, a similar Starlink project from SpaceX (even at the earliest stages) assumes a much larger scale, offering 2-7 times more spacecraft and a total bandwidth, which is likely to be even greater. SpaceX has applied for 4,400 satellites. This is partly why Starlink satellites and related infrastructure are likely to be more complex and expensive for mass production and operation. Combined with laser communication systems between satellites that can make Starlink truly revolutionary, it remains to be seen whether these innovations will pay off.
')
Due to the relative simplicity and smaller mass of the OneWeb satellite, as well as the partnership with the industrial giant Airbus Defense and Space and the partial completion of the establishment of the satellite manufacturing plant in Florida, OneWeb is surely a few steps ahead of SpaceX, at least with regard to early commercial launch. operation. SpaceX has already gained experience operating its first two demonstration satellites - known as Tintin A and B - for a whole year in orbit, but all that is known about the first Starlink operational launches is that CEO Ilon Musk is determined to begin deploying the group no later than June 2019. At the end of last year, Ilon Musk, not satisfied with the pace of development and testing of satellites, fired 7 top managers who were responsible for the Starlink direction.
The many open positions and insider information from various sources indicate that Starlink is largely focused on deploying satellite production after several years of development. It is unclear whether a second set of prototype satellites is planned, which Musk had previously hinted at, several months after the debut of the first pair of satellites, in February 2018.
Production of One Web satellites.
In addition to the satellites themselves, potential global Internet constellation operators have to solve an equally important and challenging task: the development of a high-performance and low-cost user terminal, antenna, and associated electronics, which turn spacecraft signals into an affordable and reliable Internet connection. SpaceX’s work in this direction didn’t make any loud statements, while OneWeb founder Greg Wyler recently began to disclose the details and wrote on Twitter that his team created a $ 15 prototype antenna capable of supporting data transmission at 20–60 Mbps.
Meanwhile, the encouraging success of the company's first launch paved the way for the first full-fledged launch of the OneWeb spacecraft. From 32 to 36 satellites can be installed on the Russian launch vehicle "Soyuz-2" with the direct participation of Arianespace. OneWeb has a contract for 21 launches of Soyuz-2 launch vehicles, with an average rate of one launch per month in the period between the first operational launch and the completion of a constellation of 650 satellites of first-phase satellites. Shortly after the first launch was completed, Arianespace CEO Stefan Israel announced that he had struck a deal with OneWeb about the first two launches of the Ariane 6 rocket, which should debut as early as 2020.
A source
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/442476/
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