Oneweb has burned through billions of pounds as it seeks to create a network of satellites providing highspeed broadband access across the globe.
OneWeb is a 12 year-old American startup based in London that aims to provide internet access to "everyone, everywhere." On Feb.
The
OneWeb Satellites facility is the first to employ industrial-scale mass production techniques for satellites, enabling dramatically reduced costs and production times that can deliver one satellite per production shift or two a day, while significantly expanding internet connectivity and making space technology far more accessible.
Leveraging SoftBank's expertise,
OneWeb and SoftBank will work together to execute the deployment plan and support end-user product development and build commercial partnerships.
Kepler, another satellite communications startup, called its claims "fundamentally misleading."
OneWeb, which plans its own mega-constellation of more than 2,500 internet satellites, similarly said SpaceX's interference calculations "[included] misleading operational assumptions, an incomplete analysis parameter set, and highly misleading conclusions."
Airbus is increasing production of over 640 refrigerator-sized satellites for
OneWeb at a facility in Florida, and Hoke said it would already give it some leverage in the U.S.
The international
OneWeb consortium, backed by Airbus, and Canadian firm Kepler Communications are both working on similar projects.
He most recently served as the Chief Financial Officer of
OneWeb where he led the global finance organization and served on the company's Executive Committee.
Airbus SE-backed
OneWeb launched its own clutch of satellites in February, while LeoSat Enterprises and Canada's Telesat are also working to build data networks.
Others include the UK-based start-up
OneWeb, which began its roll-out in February with six operational spacecraft.
The launch will make it an early forerunner, along with rival
OneWeb, a startup, but well ahead of Amazon's Project Kuiper, the brainchild of Musk's space rival Jeff Bezos.
Offering broadband Internet coverage to digital deserts is also the goal of the company
OneWeb, which is set to start building two satellites a day this summer in Florida, for a constellation of over 600 expected to be operational by 2021