Eutelsat commits €1 billion to add 229 new satellites for OneWeb expansion through 2034
French-British operator Eutelsat signed an agreement with Airbus for 229 additional low Earth orbit satellites. The deal represents a total investment of €1 billion ($1.16 billion) to replace and expand the OneWeb fleet beyond 2030.
Satellite operator Eutelsat announced a new order with Airbus on Thursday for 229 additional low Earth orbit satellites. This agreement represents an investment of €1 billion ($1.16 billion). The contract extends plans to replenish and expand the OneWeb network through 2034. Deliveries for these previous orders are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of this year. Eutelsat raised roughly €5 billion previously to manage financial strain from its $3.4 billion merger with OneWeb. CEO Jean-François Fallacher stated earlier that Eutelsat expected its fleet to exceed 1,000 satellites very soon. Starlink currently holds more than 11,000 satellites in orbit. While OneWeb operates fewer satellites due to higher altitude and different coverage needs, the new order adds to the fleet of 440 Airbus-built satellites ordered earlier in 2024 and 2025.
