OneWeb Satellites
OneWeb's satellite constellation is designed to operate in low Earth orbit (LEO), at an altitude of approximately 1,200 kilometers (750 miles). This positioning allows the satellites to provide lower latency compared to traditional geostationary satellites, making the network more efficient for internet services. The constellation is expected to consist of around 648 operational satellites, with additional spares in orbit to ensure network reliability.

The first batch of six OneWeb satellites was launched in February 2019 aboard a Soyuz rocket from the Guiana Space Center. These initial satellites were used to test and validate the system’s performance. Following the acquisition by the UK government and Bharti Global, OneWeb resumed its launches and continued to build its constellation.

OneWeb's satellites are designed to communicate with each other through inter-satellite links, which helps maintain network connectivity even if a ground station is not immediately accessible. End users will connect to the OneWeb network via small user terminals, which can be installed in various locations, including homes, businesses, and mobile platforms like ships and airplanes.

OneWeb Company
OneWeb is a communications company founded in 2012 by Greg Wyler, with the aim of developing a constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to provide global internet coverage, especially in underserved and remote areas. Originally called "WorldVu," the company was later rebranded as OneWeb. Wyler, leveraging his experience in satellite communications, envisioned creating a satellite network capable of delivering internet access to almost any location on Earth.

In 2015, OneWeb attracted substantial investments from major companies such as Qualcomm, Virgin Group, and Coca-Cola. These funds enabled OneWeb to move forward with its ambitious satellite development plans. The company partnered with Airbus to manufacture the satellites, with production set up in Toulouse, France. Additionally, OneWeb collaborated with launch providers like Arianespace to deploy its satellites into space.

Despite early progress, OneWeb faced financial challenges due to the high costs associated with satellite deployment. In March 2020, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, leading to a temporary halt in its operations. However, in November 2020, the UK government and Bharti Global acquired OneWeb, allowing the company to exit bankruptcy and resume its satellite launches. By the end of 2021, OneWeb had successfully deployed over 350 satellites as part of its constellation.

Photo courtesy of OneWeb.

Falcon 9 is a reusable, two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of people and payloads into Earth orbit and beyond.

Falcon 9 is the world’s first orbital-class reusable rocket.

Stats

Total launches: 381

Total landings: 337

Total reflights: 312

The Falcon 9 has launched 52 humans into orbit since May 2020

Specs

Height: 70 m / 229.6 ft

Diameter: 3.7 m / 12 ft

Mass: 549,054 kg / 1,207,920 lb

Payload to Low Earth Orbit (LEO): 22,800 kg / 50,265 lb

Payload to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO): 8,300 kg / 18,300 lb

Payload to Mars: 4,020 kg / 8,860 lb

On January 24, 2021, Falcon 9 launched the first ride-share mission to Sun Synchronous Orbit. It was delivering a record-setting 143 satellites to space. And while this was an important mission for SpaceX in itself, it was also the moment Falcon 9 overtook United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V for the total number of consecutive successful launches.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 had become America’s workhorse rocket, launching 31 times in 2021. It has already beaten that record this year, launching almost an average of once a week. While most of the launches deliver Starlink satellites to orbit, the company is still launching the most commercial payloads to orbit, too.

Falcon 9 is a medium-lift launch vehicle, with the capability to launch over 22.8 metric tonnes to low earth orbit. Unlike any other rocket, its first stage lands back on Earth after separating from its second stage. In part, this allows SpaceX to offer the cheapest option for most customers with payloads that need to reach orbit.

Under its ride-share program, a kilogram can be placed in a sun-synchronous orbit for a mere 1.1 million dollars, far cheaper than all other currently operating small satellite launch vehicles.

The reusability and fast booster turnaround times have made Falcon 9 the preferred choice for private companies and government agencies. This has allowed SpaceX to capture a huge portion of the launch market.

Photo courtesy of Jenny Hautmann for Supercluster.

Space Launch Complex 4 (SLC-4) at Vandenberg Space Force Base is SpaceX’s west coast launch and landing facility, with its launch pad designated SLC-4E (the eastern-most of the two areas). Originally built in the early 1960s for Atlas-Agena rockets, the pad served that rocket line until 1967, when it was taken offline and rebuilt for Titan IIID rockets. From 1971 to 1988, SLC-4E launched Titan IIID rockets, after which it was reconfigured for Titan IV missions, which continued between 1991 and 2005.

In 2011, SpaceX leased SLC-4E and spent two years rebuilding the pad for its Falcon 9 rocket. From 2013 to 2019, the pad exclusively supported Falcon 9 polar missions. However, in 2020, SpaceX began splitting polar launches between Vandenberg and Cape Canaveral, after the Air Force lifted a 51-year ban on Florida-based polar launches, previously imposed due to the risk of overflying Cuba during launch. Despite these new opportunities from Florida, SpaceX plans to continue utilizing Vandenberg, with many more launches scheduled from this location.

Photo courtesy of Pauline Acalin

Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4) is SpaceX’s only west coast landing pad for the Falcon 9 first stage.

Activated in 2018, the landing pad is built on the former SLC-4W launch pad.

SLC-4W was built just 427 meters (1,400 feet) from SLC-4E for the Atlas-Agena rockets between 1963 and 1965.  After that, it was rebuilt for the Titan IIIB rocket and used for that program from 1966 to 1987.

With the Titan IIIB’s retirement, the pad was reconfigured for the Titan 23G rocket between 1988 and 2003.

SpaceX leased SLC-4W in 2015 and renamed it Landing Zone 4 and created a landing pad for the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage.

The first Return To Launch Site landing of a Falcon 9 to Landing Zone 4 took place on October 7th, 2018.

Image: Pauline Acalin for Supercluster