Eutelsat

News Summary:

Eutelsat signed a €1 billion agreement with Airbus on September 11, 2026, to expand its OneWeb satellite network through 2034. This significant investment aims to enhance global connectivity, complementing a previous order of 440 satellites anticipated for delivery in late 2024 and 2025. Earlier on September 11, the company signed a Letter of Agreement with Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between Thales and Leonardo, to provide governmental payloads for 330 IRIS² telecommunications satellites in Low Earth Orbit, which include 66 Ka-only and 264 dual Ku/Ka satellites. Also on September 11, Eutelsat announced the extension and expansion of its partnership with Grupo W Com's StarTV, a direct-to-home television provider in Mexico, for continued satellite television and next-gen services via the EUTELSAT 117 West B satellite. Separately that day, Eutelsat selected Arianespace for two dedicated Ariane 64 launches in 2027 and 2028, intended to support the renewal and further development of its OneWeb low-Earth-orbit constellation. These missions will deploy from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, utilizing the four-booster Ariane 64 configuration to deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity. This followed an agreement extension with Austrian operator A1 on September 11, allowing A1 Group to continue using multiple transponders at Eutelsat's 16° East orbital position to distribute television channels and services to households in Croatia and the Central Eastern Europe region.