Europe-based major aerospace group Airbus and US-based global Internet communications company OneWeb have announced that their joint venture, OneWeb Satellites, recently officially opened the world’s first-ever high-speed, high-volume satellite production facility.

The facility is located at Exploration Park, in the US state of Florida. Exploration Park is located on land owned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, adjacent to the world-renowned Kennedy Spaceflight Center, at Cape Canaveral, on Florida’s ‘Space Coast’.

The new production plant will, for the first time, use industrial-scale mass-production techniques to manufacture satellites. Previously, satellites were effectively produced individually, requiring more than a year to assemble each one, at considerable cost (tens of millions of dollars).

In very sharp contrast, OneWeb Satellites will produce one satellite every production shift, or two each day. This will be possible because the new facility has two production lines. This mass- production method will result in considerable cost savings – about 98% – compared with traditional satellite assembly techniques.

“OneWeb Satellites and its partners are transforming the satellite and space industry,” affirmed company CEO Tony Gingiss. “By producing high-quality satellites at a fraction of the cost and schedule of traditional manufacturers, we are not only enabling OneWeb to connect the planet, we are making space dramatically more accessible to everyone.” The massive reduction in the cost of satellites will make many previously unaffordable missions possible for both private- and public-sector clients.

The first six satellites produced by OneWeb Satellites were launched into space on a single rocket in February. Each OneWeb satellite has a total mass of 150 kg and a payload mass of 60 kg. Each is fitted with an electric propulsion (Hall-effect – a form of ion – thruster) system. The design life of the satellites is more than seven years in a 500 km high orbit, and more than five years in a 1 200 km high orbit.

The satellites manufactured at the new facility will allow OneWeb to establish a constellation of, at first, 650 satellites (later expanding to 1 980) to provide global high-speed Internet connectivity. Currently, about 50% of the world’s population is not connected to the Internet, while people travelling by air and sea experience inconsistent Internet access.

“This is a defining moment in the history of OneWeb, and the space industry,” asserted OneWeb CEO Adrian Steckel. “With today’s (July 22) opening, we are one step closer to connecting the unconnected for the benefit of societies all over the world. As we gear up for more satellite launches at the end of the year, this facility will ensure that we can begin delivering global connectivity in some areas as early as next year and globally in 2021.”

“Airbus is manufacturing products in the US from all our business divisions – commercial aircraft, helicopters and now satellites,” highlighted Airbus Americas chairperson and CEO C Jeffrey Knittel. “We take seriously our partnerships in the communities where we do business, and we’re proud to contribute our aerospace manufacturing expertise to the Space Coast with 250 [direct] high-tech jobs in Florida.” Airbus makes use of 450 American suppliers, located in more than 40 states, and supports more than 275 000 jobs in the US. Since 1990, the giant aerospace group has spent more than $187-billion in America.

The opening of the new facility was attended by high-ranking US federal government officials and legislators, including US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, US Senator Rick Scott, and US Representative (Congressman) Bill Posey. (Exploration Park lies within the eighth Congressional District, currently represented by Posey.) “The avenue for unlocking untapped human potential lies, yet to be paved, in space,” stated Ross. “Private industry is a key partner in this effort, as we are well on our way to a $1-trillion space economy and fuelling a new revolution in technology in orbit.”