The new satellites will be produced at Airbus Defence and Space’s Toulouse facility on a newly installed production line, with deliveries scheduled from the end of 2026. Airbus said the programme represents an additional step in strengthening European sovereignty in space.
OneWeb’s low Earth orbit network currently consists of more than 600 satellites operating in 12 synchronised orbital planes at an altitude of 1,200 kilometres. The new spacecraft will progressively replace early batches nearing the end of their operational life, ensuring full service continuity for customers worldwide.
The satellites will include technology upgrades such as advanced digital channelisers to improve onboard processing, efficiency and flexibility, alongside an optimised architecture for long-term performance. Eutelsat will also assess new business opportunities, including hosted payload capabilities.
“This latest contract from Eutelsat is an endorsement of our design and manufacturing expertise for LEO satellites. Airbus has been a key partner and supplier to Eutelsat for more than 30 years and this award further cements our important relationship,” said Alain Fauré, Head of Space Systems in Airbus.
“We are pleased to rely on our long-standing partner, Airbus, for the procurement of these latest satellites. They ensure service continuity for the growing number of our customers and distribution partners benefiting from the unparalleled performance of our ubiquitous, low latency LEO capacity, and enable us to pursue our growth path,” said Jean-François Fallacher, Eutelsat Chief Executive Officer.
