OneWeb's constellation of internet-satellite satellites continues to expand.
After a delay of two days, an Arianespace Soyuz rocket carrying 34 satellites for OneWeb's Launch 9 mission took off Saturday at 6:13 p.m. ET (2213 GMT; 3:13 a.m. August 22 local time at Baikonur).
Launch was initially scheduled for Thursday, August 19. However, the launch was canceled due to "a non nominal event during the final automated sequence", Arianespace representatives stated in an update on that day.
The problem was quickly identified and rectified, and liftoff was rescheduled for Friday (Aug. 20). Launch was delayed by OneWeb for 24 hours "to allow additional time for mission planning preparations linked to the updated liftoff," Arianespace stated via Twitter Friday.
Video: Watch Arianespace's Soyuz launch the 34 OneWeb satellites
In photos: OneWeb launches new global satellite internet constellation
A Russian-built Arianespace Soyuz rocket launched 34 OneWeb satellites into space on Aug. 21, 2021, at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan (Aug. 22, local Baikonur Time). (Image credit: Space Center "Yuzhny"/Roscosmos)
Representatives from Arianespace said that all 34 spacecraft, which collectively weigh 12,165 pounds (5.518 kilograms), were separated by the Soyuz as planned three hours and 45 minutes after launch. The satellites were deployed to a near-polar orbit at 280 miles (450 km) above Earth. They will then migrate over the next few weeks to their operational orbit which has an altitude 746 miles (1 200 km).
Roscosmos and Arianespace webcast the launch. The launch lit up Baikonur's predawn sky, but Arianespace stopped providing live video feeds shortly after liftoff. Roscosmos tweeted that the Soyuz's Fregat upper stage and the Soyuz were performing as expected on the long journey to separation.
Arianespace has launched 288 OneWeb satellites into space. They have all been on nine missions. OneWeb is not yet finished. OneWeb, a London-based company that emerged late last year from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, plans to eventually operate approximately 650 broadband spacecraft in low earth orbit.
Representatives from Arianespace wrote that OneWeb is central to Saturday's mission.
Arianespace said that the OneWeb constellation, once deployed, will allow user terminals capable of offering 3G, LTE and 5G coverage. This will provide high-speed global access by air, water, and land.
According to Arianespace's mission description, OneWeb will provide internet service to some northern regions of Earth by 2021 if all goes according plan. As the constellation grows, global coverage will follow.
OneWeb is facing competition in satellite internet. SpaceX, for example, has launched over 1,700 satellites to support its Starlink broadband constellation. This service is currently in beta testing phase. Amazon also plans to launch approximately 3,200 broadband satellites to its Project Kuiper constellation. However, none of these spacecraft have yet left the ground.
This story was last updated at 12:20 AM. ET on August 22 with the news of a successful satellite deployment
