Latest Press releases

Soyuz September 10, 2021

Flight ST35 will mark 1,000 satellites launched by Arianespace in company’s history

- The next Arianespace mission is planned from Baikonur Cosmodrome with Soyuz on September 14, at 11:07 p.m. (local time), to deliver 34 satellites into orbit, bringing the total OneWeb’s fleet to 322 satellites in Low Earth Orbit.

– This 60th Soyuz mission, the 10th to the benefit of OneWeb, and the ninth mission of the year 2021, will again be conducted by Arianespace and its Starsem affiliate.

– ST35 will orbit the 1,000th satellite processed by Arianespace (1,021 in total after this launch) in 41 years of operations.

Flight ST35, performed by Arianespace and its Starsem affiliate from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on September 14 at 11.07pm (local time), will put 34 of OneWeb’s satellites into a near-polar orbit at an altitude of 450 kilometers. The mission will have a total duration of 3 hours and 45 minutes and will include a first separation of two satellites followed by eight separations of four satellites, which will raise themselves to their operational orbit.

This launch represents an important step in Arianespace’s career, as it will see the 1,000th satellite processed by the European launch service operator reach its orbit. Throughout a 41-year history, Arianespace has orbited all types of satellites and spacecraft, from connectivity and broadcast to Earth observation and science, allowing its customers to reach all kind of destinations into space, from close orbits to deep space locations.

This 60th launch of Soyuz operated by Arianespace, the 10th to the benefit of OneWeb, will raise to 322 the number of satellites deployed for the global telecommunications operator. OneWeb’s constellation will deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity services to a wide range of customer sectors including aviation, maritime, backhaul services, as well as governments, emergency response services and more. Central to its purpose, OneWeb seeks to bring connectivity to every place where fiber cannot reach, and thereby bridge the digital divide.

Once deployed, the OneWeb constellation will enable user terminals that are capable of offering 3G, LTE, 5G and Wi-Fi coverage, providing high-speed access globally – by air, sea and land.

OneWeb Satellites, a joint venture between OneWeb and Airbus Defence and Space, is the constellation’s prime contractor. The satellites were built thanks to its leading-edge satellite manufacturing process that can build up to two satellites a day on a series production line dedicated to the assembly, integration, and testing of the satellites.

About Arianespace

Arianespace uses space to make life better on Earth by providing launch services for all types of satellites into all orbits. It has orbited over 900 satellites since 1980, using its family of three launchers, Ariane, Soyuz and Vega, from launch sites in French Guiana (South America) and from the Russian cosmodromes in Baikonur and Vostochny. Arianespace is headquartered in Evry, near Paris, and has a technical facility at the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana, plus local offices in Washington, D.C., Tokyo and Singapore. Arianespace is a subsidiary of ArianeGroup, which holds 74% of its share capital, with the balance held by 15 other shareholders from the European launcher industry.

About Starsem

Starsem is dedicated to providing international commercial marketing and operation of the Soyuz launch vehicle from the Baikonur cosmodrome. Shareholders in Starsem are Arianespace, ArianeGroup, the State Space Corporation ROSCOSMOS and the Samara Space Center “RKTs-Progress.” www.starsem.com

Soyuz August 22, 2021

Following VA254 and VV19, Flight ST34 marks Arianespace’s third successful launch in less than one month

Read more