OneWeb to build satellites in UK
December 9, 2021
By Chris Forrester
Broadband satellite operator OneWeb, which owns a 50/50 joint venture satellite construction company (with Airbus) in Florida, is to start producing its satellites in the UK. OneWeb said that the move would be worth some $3 billion (€2.6bn) to the UK economy.
Chris McLaughlin, OneWeb’s head of government affairs, said that a manufacturing programme would be established soon. He was speaking to the UK government’s all-party science & technology committee and said that by 2024-2025 would be building satellites in the UK.
Reportedly, no decision has yet been made as to whether OneWeb would move the joint-venture to an Airbus site in the UK or select another builder.
OneWeb is due to launch around 34 of its satellites into orbit on December 27th.
Airbus Space & Defence has recently opened a new £35 million HQ for its UK space-related businesses at Orbit House in Stevenage. It is planned that there will be some 500 specialist engineers and technicians working at the site out of the 3,000 already employed by Airbus at facilities in Stevenage and Portsmouth.