OneWeb, the satellite company partly owned by the UK government and Bharti Airtel, will launch its future satellites from India to ensure plans for a constellation of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites stay on track.
The company had launched satellites from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan until Roscomos demanded guarantees that the technology would not be used for military purposes against Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.
OneWeb said it would suspend all launches from the facility and look for other ways to expand its constellation, which currently has 428 satellites. In total, it plans to launch 650 satellites to achieve global coverage.
OneWeb Spain
OneWeb reached a temporary agreement with Elon Musk's SpaceX to continue its program, before signing this latest agreement with New Space India.
"This is another historic day for collaboration in space, thanks to the shared ambition and vision of New Space India and OneWeb," said Sunil Bharti Mittal, OneWeb's CEO.
“This latest agreement on launch plans adds tremendous momentum to the development of the OneWeb network as we work together across the space industry toward our common goal of connecting communities globally.
OneWeb faced bankruptcy in 2020 before being rescued by a takeover by Indian telephone company Bharti Airtel and the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The government now owns a third of the company after investing £400m. Since then, it has received additional investment from South Korean company Hanwha, bringing its total funding to $2700 billion since its inception.
The company plans to bring broadband to some of the world's most remote regions, transforming consumer services, onboard Wi-Fi and industrial applications.