SpaceX launched 40 satellites of its competitor OneWeb (video)
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched 40 OneWeb satellites into orbit. It is a competitor to the Starlink network created by SpaceX.
The Falcon 9 launch took place on January 9 at 23:50 EST (6:50 January 10 Kyiv time) from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport in Florida.
Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/xYOwyBucPi
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 10, 2023
The Falcon 9 first stage touched down at Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral about seven minutes and 45 seconds after launch. Meanwhile, the Falcon 9 upper stage launched 40 OneWeb satellites into low Earth orbit.
The satellites deployed on schedule for about 37 minutes. OneWeb later said it had deployed the last satellite of the batch and was establishing communications.
👋 We say goodbye to the last of our forty satellites as it successfully separates.
Our team will now continue to work through the morning to confirm contact with all our spacecraft 🛰️
📷: @SpaceX#OneWebLaunch16 🚀 pic.twitter.com/F2W2AmOjqS
— OneWeb (@OneWeb) January 10, 2023
OneWeb is assembling a network of 648 satellites that will provide Internet services to customers around the world. The London-based company has already launched 502 satellites, mostly on board Russian-made Soyuz rockets operated by the French company Arianespace.
