Eutelsat has ordered 229 additional OneWeb low-Earth-orbit satellites from Airbus at the International Space Summit in Paris, expanding the programme to 669 spacecraft built by the European aerospace group. The new order comes as Eutelsat looks to maintain service continuity across its constellation, which already operates with more than 600 satellites in orbit and serves global high-speed, low-latency connectivity needs.
The latest agreement is an Authorisation to Proceed covering initial industrial work rather than the full build contract. It follows earlier procurement of 440 satellites from Airbus and keeps production at Airbus Defence and Space’s Toulouse facility, where earlier batches are already in manufacture. Eutelsat plans to use the extra spacecraft to replace older satellites gradually, add capacity and extend the constellation’s capabilities through 2034.
The batch will include advanced digital channelisers to improve onboard processing, efficiency and flexibility, alongside the ability to host payloads in parallel with the OneWeb Ku mission. Eutelsat put the estimated investment at about €1 billion and said the purchase does not alter its capital expenditure plan through FY2029. France’s Minister of Higher Education, Research and Space, Philippe Baptiste, attended the Paris event.