Oneweb

The OneWeb Satellites joint venture (JV) between Airbus Defence and Space and satellite-based internet provider OneWeb is planning to build a facility in Exploration Park, Florida, US, which will manufacture around 900 satellites for the OneWeb constellation.

Scheduled to open next year, the $85m automated facility is to be located near Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center, and plans to deliver initial satellites by late next year or early 2018.

The production site is expected to cover an area of more than 100,000ft² and will create around 250 direct jobs.

Airbus Defence and Space space systems head François Auque said: "In June 2015, we started from scratch to create a new satellite design and manufacturing company.

"In both Florida and Europe, we are now embarking on the next stage of an unprecedented venture in the space industry: a site that can mass-produce dozens of satellites every month.

"In both Florida and Europe, we are now embarking on the next stage of an unprecedented venture in the space industry."

"All this, of course, without affecting the levels of quality and technology that are essential when it comes to spacecraft – complex machines that need to operate for several years in space."

The company noted that a prototype production line at its site in Toulouse, France, will assemble and test the first ten satellites, and check and validate industrial solutions for the series production.

The design of the satellites is currently under way at Airbus Defence and Space’s design offices in Toulouse, and, OneWeb’s space segment will initially include a constellation of 648 operational and replacement satellites, all of which will be identical.

To be weighed around 150kg, the satellites will be placed in low Earth orbit using electrical propulsion by Arianespace and Virgin Galactic in 2018.

OneWeb founder Greg Wyler said: "This new facility is another step in the dream of enabling affordable internet access for the entire globe.

"These satellites are truly state-of-the-art as we have really pushed, but not exceeded, the limits of technology.

"With this new facility, we will be able to iterate, update and continuously improve the satellites design and performance, and being right at the space centre using Virgin Galactic, we will be able to launch new satellites within hours of completion."

Image: The production site is expected to cover an area of more than 100,000ft² and will create around 250 direct jobs. Photo: courtesy of Airbus DS.