WASHINGTON – OneWeb says it is drastically reducing the size of a proposed next-generation satellite constellation that was originally intended to have nearly 48,000 satellites.
On January 12, at the Federal Communications Commission, OneWeb sought permission to amend an application filed in May that would launch 47,844 satellites for its “phase two” constellation. Instead, the company proposes a system with 6,372 satellites.
The revised constellation, OneWeb said in a January 13 statement, “demonstrates the commitment and vision” of its new owners, the UK government and the Indian telecommunications company Bharti Global, for the “deployment of a cost-effective, responsible and groundbreaking satellite network to deliver global broadband. ”
In the original Phase Two proposal submitted to the FCC, a system was provided with 32 aircraft of 720 satellites each with an inclination of 40 degrees, 32 aircraft with 720 satellites each with an inclination of 55 degrees, and 36 aircraft with 49 satellites each with an inclination of 87.9 degrees, for a total of 47,844 satellites, all in an orbit of 1,200 kilometers high. This is in addition to the initial constellation of approximately 650 satellites the company is currently using, which is not affected by the proposed amendment.
The revised system maintains the same number and arrangement of orbital planes, but reduces the number of satellites in each of the 40- and 55-degree planes from 720 to 72. The satellites in the 87.9-degree orbital planes are unchanged, giving the total size of the system to 6,372 satellites.
“OneWeb expects that this revised implementation plan for its Phase 2 constellation will enable it to achieve excellent end – user throughput and spectral efficiency, while reducing funding requirements and enhancing OneWeb’s ‘Responsible Space’ vision,” the company said in a statement. FCC filing said. “This amendment is an integral part of OneWeb’s commitment to support the long-term use of space for all by conserving the orbital environment.”
Despite reducing the size of the constellation by more than 85%, OneWeb asked the FCC to consider the amendment as ‘minor’ under the priority rating rules for different applications. The company said it was not making any other changes, such as frequency allocations, for the system, so “this proposed reduction of satellites will not increase the potential interference” for other systems.
It is not clear how OneWeb was in its original proposal for the launch of nearly 48,000 satellites. The company filed the application when it was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy and suspended the deployment of its first generation system. The deployment resumed in December after the company emerged under Chapter 11 under its new ownership.
The size of the system, larger than any other constellation proposed, has frightened some in the field for sustainability in space due to the increased risk of orbital debris. Astronomers were also concerned that the satellites would pose a greater risk to their observations than SpaceX’s Starlink system.
“Clearly, a huge constellation of 50,000 satellites is by far the most dangerous for visible astronomy,” said Olivier Hainaut, an astronomer at the European Southern Observatory, at a conference in July on the effect of satellite mega-constellations on astronomy.