No choice at all: SpaceX uses Falcon 9 to launch 40 satellites for competitor OneWeb

CTOnews.com January 10 news, since the Russia-Ukraine conflict intensified, the British OneWeb will no longer launch its satellites by the Russian Alliance 2.1b rocket, while India and SpaceX won the list with their low offer.

At 12:50 Beijing time on January 10, SpaceX launched 40 OneWeb satellites into low Earth orbit using Falcon 9 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station SLC-40 launch site, and SpaceX will launch a Falcon 9 at Vandenberg Base SLC-4E to transport 51 of its own satellites into space.

This is SpaceX's second OneWeb satellite launch and its 16th launch, as previously reported by CTOnews.com. After Falcon 9 first stage rocket separation, first stage rocket recovered at Cape Cal Space Force Station Land Landing Zone LZ-1.

OneWeb is a global communications company that currently has the world's second-largest satellite constellation, with more than 500 satellites in orbit (648 planned to be launched, of which 600 are active satellites and the remaining 48 are in orbit as backup satellites).

These space-based constellation Internet satellites, similar to Starlink, weigh approximately 148 kilograms each, are powered by two solar panels, use electric motors as thrust, and the ultimate goal is to propel the satellites into orbit at an altitude of 1200 kilometers and maintain proper positioning within the constellation.