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Discussions between the NRAO and OneWeb have resumed for the first time since 2016 and include topics such as OneWeb satellite design, planned ground station locations relative to radio astronomy observatories, and the constellation's overall impact on radio astronomy.
OneWeb is pursuing an initial constellation of 650 satellites with plans to expand to 1,980 satellites over time.
Arianespace signed OneWeb as the customer for the 2020 maiden flight of Ariane 6, which will use the lighter Ariane 62 configuration with two strap-on boosters.
OneWeb previously raised $500,000,000 in 2015, $1,200,000,000 in 2016, and around $450,000,000 in undisclosed fundraising last year.
SoftBank is OneWeb’s largest investor and led the $1,250,000,000 financing round.
OneWeb will fly satellites on the inaugural flight of Ariane 6 using the Ariane 62 configuration with two strap-on boosters, with that mission scheduled for 2020.
Previous public disclosures indicated OneWeb had raised $1,700,000,000 in capital, with the majority coming from SoftBank.
OneWeb reduced its originally planned first launch from 10 satellites to six satellites in order to keep four satellites as spares.
Arianespace won a OneWeb launch contract in 2015 for 21 Soyuz missions and initially planned for most of those missions to take place in Baikonur.
OneWeb raised $1,700,000,000 from investors, of which $1,000,000,000 came from SoftBank.
OneWeb has raised $1,700,000,000 in equity since 2015, with SoftBank providing $1,000,000,000 of that total.
OneWeb plans to launch its first 10 satellites late 2018 on an Arianespace Soyuz rocket.
OneWeb’s first launch will carry 10 satellites directly to a 1,200-kilometer low Earth orbit instead of the 500-kilometer drop-off planned for subsequent flights.