Soyuz ST33 Flight - Launch Sequence

Performed on Thursday, July 1st at precisely 09:48 p.m. local time at Russias Vostochny Cosmodrome (12:48 p.m. UTC), Soyuz Flight ST33 lifted-off with 36 new OneWeb satellites onboard, bringing after the successful deployment the size of the fleet in orbit to 254. Flight ST33 was the 58th Soyuz mission carried out by Arianespace and its Starsem affiliate.

This new launch was very special, marking the completion of OneWebs Five to 50 ambition to bring into orbit the satellites required to enable connectivity services to the 50th parallel and above by years end which includes Canada, U.K., Northern Europe, Alaska and Arctic regions, said Stéphane Israël, Chief Executive Officer of Arianespace and Starsem. Congratulations to all the teams who made this eighth launch dedicated to OneWebs satellites a success!

Arianespace has launched 254 OneWeb satellites through eight Soyuz launches to date. Arianespace will perform 11 more Soyuz launches for OneWeb through 2021 and 2022. These launches will enable OneWeb to complete the deployment of its full global constellation of low Earth orbit satellites before the end of 2022.

OneWebs mission is to create a global connectivity platform through a next-generation satellite constellation in low Earth orbit. The OneWeb constellation will deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity to a wide range of customer sectors, including aviation, maritime, enterprise and governments. Central to its purpose, OneWeb seeks to bring connectivity to the hardest to reach places, where fiber cannot reach, and thereby bridge the digital divide.

The satellite prime contractor is OneWeb Satellites, a joint venture of OneWeb and Airbus Defence and Space. The satellites were produced in Florida, USA in its leading-edge satellite manufacturing facilities that can build up to two satellites per day on a series production line dedicated to spacecraft assembly, integration, and testing.