Eutelsat has agreed to procure 229 additional low-Earth orbit satellites from Airbus Defence and Space as European authorities back a 1 billion euro ($1.16 billion) commitment to support and expand the OneWeb satellite constellation into the next decade.
The new procurement increases the total count of OneWeb satellites assigned to Airbus Defence and Space to 669 units. This follows 440 spacecraft previously ordered across 2024 and 2025, with initial satellite deliveries from the earlier contract expected during the coming quarter.
Airbus will produce the new batch of satellites in Toulouse using existing manufacturing infrastructure. The 229 spacecraft will feature digital channelisers designed to improve onboard processing, efficiency, and payload flexibility. To launch the spacecraft, Eutelsat has booked two Ariane 64 rocket missions set for 2027 and 2028.
The replenishment program is intended to maintain and expand OneWeb operations through 2034 while Europe develops its IRIS2 secure communications program. Eutelsat Chief Executive Officer Jean-François Fallacher noted that OneWeb and IRIS2 together offer a roadmap to grow LEO operations and strengthen sovereign connectivity.
OneWeb currently operates over 600 satellites across 12 orbital planes at an altitude of about 1,200 kilometers, delivering connectivity for aviation, maritime, government, and commercial users. Eutelsat told a parliamentary committee that the constellation delivers an average two-way latency of approximately 70 milliseconds.
The network was rescued from bankruptcy in 2020 by the British government and India's Bharti Global before merging with France's Eutelsat in 2023. European governments have placed increasing emphasis on LEO satellite sovereignty as demand for resilient orbital communications continues to outpace available regional infrastructure.
