Virgin Galactic to be Inaugural Launch Provider for OneWeb Satellites

By Robert Wall

LONDON--Billionaire Richard Brandson's Virgin Galactic rocket venture will be among the inaugural launch providers for a fleet of 900 microsatellites that communications startup OneWeb Ltd. plans to push into orbit to provide fast global Internet services.

Virgin Galactic will provide 39 launches and has options for 100 more, the company--that is also backed by Abu Dhabi's Aabar Investments PJS--said on Thursday.

OneWeb was founded by Greg Wyler, a satellite-industry veteran who worked at Google Inc. on a similar satellite-Internet plan. He previously estimated it would cost $1.5 billion to $2 billion to launch the service.

OneWeb said Europe's Arianespace would provide 21 launches using the Soyuz rocket.

Mr. Branson is also a backer of OneWeb and sits on its board, which includes Qualcomm Executive Chairman Paul Jacobs. Both Mr. Branson's Virgin Group and Qualcomm Inc. are investors in the satellite venture previously called WorldVu Satellites Ltd.

OneWeb had it had secured an investment of $500 million from a group that includes Airbus Group SE and The Coca-Cola Company.

"The scale of this order will drive our manufacturing rates to achieve unprecedented cost reductions for small satellite launch," Virgin Galactic Chief Executive George Whitesides said.

Airbus said last week it would establish new satellite production facilities in the U.S. to build the spacecraft. The first ten examples will be constructed at its satellite plant in Toulouse, France.

OneWeb plans to have the service operational around 2019, it said.

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