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Eutelsat is allocating around one billion euros for 229 additional satellites for its OneWeb network. The French company wants to ramp up capacity more quickly in order to build the market for broadband from space.
The European satellite operator signed an additional contract with Airbus Defence and Space for this, on top of the 440 satellites that had already been ordered.
Eutelsat, owner of OneWeb, expects to launch the first satellites from the original order in the coming quarter. The remaining 229 will follow in phases up to 2034.
For Eutelsat, the expansion is primarily a matter of continuity. With the extra satellites, the company wants to maintain OneWeb’s service levels until IRIS², the sovereign European space constellation, is fully commercially operational. That milestone is expected around mid-2032.
The timing is no coincidence. OneWeb and IRIS² are two separate networks, but they are being built and will later be managed by the same company. Eutelsat is part of the SpaceRISE consortium, together with SES and Hispasat, which has had a twelve-year concession agreement with the European Union since December 2024 for the design, construction and operation of IRIS². The deal is worth 10.6 billion euros.
IRIS² is intended to become a counterpart to Starlink.
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