|
The OneWeb satellite constellation—formerly known as WorldVu—is a proposed constellation of approximately 700 satellites expected to provide global internet broadband service to individual consumers as early as 2019. The constellation is proposed by the company WorldVu Satellites Ltd., which has used the alternate name ''L5'' in various regulatory filings. The company is registered in St. Helier, Jersey and is expected to require up to in capital by the time the full constellation becomes operational in 2019–2020.〔 The company plans to orbit a total constellation of 700 satellites, operating in circular low Earth orbits of and , with half of the satellites operating at each altitude. The communication satellites will operate in the Ku band of the radio frequency spectrum, with 20 satellites operating in each of 20 different orbital planes to provide consistent coverage.〔 The company's business plan is attempting to "reach hundreds of millions of potential users residing in places without () broadband access."〔 Spacify Incorporated is working in tandem to deliver cube-sats for this project as part of the satellite constellation. ==History== Early reports of the potential involvement of Google in offering broadband internet services surfaced in February 2014, when a "very large () constellation" was rumored to be as large as 1600 satellites.〔 〕 By June 2014, WorldVu had acquired the satellite spectrum that was formerly owned by SkyBridge, a company that previously failed in an attempt to offer broadband internet services via satellite.〔 〕 , the WorldVu company had 30 employees. In September 2014, several Google employees who had joined Google as part of the acquisition of O3b Networks in 2013—Greg Wyler, Brian Holz and David Bettinger—left Google to become a part of WorldVu Satellites Ltd. The rights to the radio frequency spectrum were transferred to WorldVu. , it was unclear why the WorldVu team left Google, as well as what Google's role might be in WorldVu going forward. At the time, WorldVu was working closely with SpaceX and SpaceX' founder Elon Musk,〔 〕 although no formal relationship had been established and no launch commitments had been made.〔 〕 By November 2014, the ''Wall Street Journal'' was reporting that Musk and Wyler were considering options for building a factory to manufacture high-volume low-cost satellites, and that "initial talks have been held with state officials in Florida and Colorado"〔 about potentially locating a factory in those states, as well as that SpaceX would likely launch the satellites.〔 〕 Also in November, WorldVu issued a tender "to satellite manufacturers for 640 125-kilogram satellites", asking for responses by mid-December, having secured regulatory approval for use of the requisite electromagnetic spectrum communication frequencies in mid-2014.〔 〕〔Rolfe Winkler, "Elon Musk Confirms SpaceX Is Building Internet Satellites", Wall Street Journal, 11/11/2014〕 The 2014 OneWeb solicitation to satellite manufacturers was for a total build of approximately 900 small Internet-delivery satellites, including ground and on-orbit spares. Responses were received from both European and US manufacturers including Airbus Defence and Space, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, OHB AG, SSL (company) and Thales Alenia Space, and discussions have focused on how each of these companies "are going to escape their status-quo histories as major space hardware contractors and remake themselves into producers capable of producing multiple satellites per month, each with a cost of less than ."〔 OneWeb announced that it plans to form a joint venture with the winning bidder and open a new facility for manufacturing the new smallsats.〔 〕 In January 2015, the ''Wall Street Journal'' reported that WorldVu, now operating under the name OneWeb LTD, had secured funding from Virgin Group and Qualcomm to build and launch the constellation, while SpaceX was not an investor and their role in the venture was not clear. OneWeb also divulged that the planned satellites will weigh approximately and that plans are to deploy approximately 650 of them in low Earth orbit to operate at altitude.〔 〕 A few days later, Elon Musk announced a different internet satellite venture, with the opening of a major new product development facility in Seattle, with the intent of taking SpaceX itself into the business of internet provision and internet backhaul services, aiming to build an approximately 4000 satellite constellation, with the first generation becoming operational in approximately 2020.〔 〕 The satellites for the OneWeb constellation were initially announced to be in the -class, about the same size as the 2 Earth-imaging satellites that are operated by Skybox Imaging, which Google acquired in August 2014.〔〔 〕〔 〕 However, by the following year, sources put the satellites nearer in mass.〔〔 In March 2015, OneWeb indicated that they intended to select a launch service provider by mid-2015〔 and in June 2015 announced that Arianespace is contracted to provide 21 multi-sat launches on Soyuz beginning in 2017 with Virgin Galactic under contract to provide 39 single-sat launches using its LauncherOne smallsat launch vehicle.〔 〕 There is also an option to use Ariane 6 for up to three launches after 2021, making this the first contract announced for the Ariane launch vehicle. In June 2015, it was announced that Airbus Defence and Space was selected to build the satellites.〔 (【引用サイトリンク】title=OneWeb selects Airbus to build 900 Internet satellites )〕〔 〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「OneWeb satellite constellation」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|