Eutelsat Prepares To Accept Bids For OneWeb Gen 2 Constellation

Eutelsat is preparing to release a request (RFP) for proposals for the second generation One Web constellation; while they finalize their purchase of the British venture.

The CEO of Eutelsat says they will "most likely" release a request for proposals in next few months. The RFP will enable launches of the second generation constellation starting in 2025/26 at estimated cost of $4 billion.

Eutelsat has already said they have reserved launch options to cover most of the second generation constellation, with some launches being on new rockets being developed by Arianespace, Blue Origin and Relativity Space.

The first generation constellation has a replenishment plan which will extend its expected lifespan to 2027/28. OneWeb has deployed 542 satellites of the proposed 648, with the final batches being launched in February and March on a SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and ISRO's LVM3 rocket.

One Web expects their first generation consultations global coverage to become full operational by January 2024.

Eutelsat Buys OneWeb

The French geostationary satellite operator is getting the final regulatory approvals it needs in France and the United States to buy OneWeb under a merger deal they announced last year. The deal was not flagged by Europe for an investigation like the US bases Viasat plan was due to how their merger wouldn't reduce competition in the market for satellite services.

“We don’t have an overlap between OneWeb’s market today and Eutelsat. We’re in different orbits and we don’t have competing capacities.”

- Eva Berneke, CEO, Eutelsat

Eutelsat's OneWeb deal is expected to be complete in the 2nd/3rd of this year, assuming Eutelsat’s shareholders also vote to approve the transaction.