Slashing launch costs
640 OneWeb satellites will bring broadband internet to every corner of the earth. And RUAG is ensuring that each launch vehicle has the capacity to place 32 satellites in orbit....
OneWeb represents a fundamental paradigm shift in space. To provide even the remotest corners of our planet with access to the worldwide information superhighway, the project aims to place a total of 640 satellites in near-earth orbit. The enormous scale of the project demands radically new technologies. With conventional approaches, the system would be unaffordable. One way in which launch costs are being slashed is to place 32 satellites in orbit in one go with a single launch. Until now, each launch vehicle has carried just a few satellites.
RUAG Space has taken on the challenge of engineering a system to place spacecraft in orbit by the bundle. The 21 dispensers that will precisely insert the satellites in their intended orbits are being designed and manufactured in Linköping, Sweden. Special technology is required to dependably prevent collisions on release and later in orbit. The contract underscores the degree of trust that RUAG Space's engineering and production capabilities enjoy in the global space industry.