Airbus Defence and Space starts a new era in space. IMG Source: airbusdefenceandspace.com
Airbus in a cooperation with OneWeb, Virgin Galactic and Qualcomm is set to project and build 900 satellites to give internet access to people around the world.
All of the communication satellites will be launched into space via Virgin Galactic by 2018 and will create a mesh circling the Earth. The deal has been announced during the Paris Airshow.
Each satellite will not weigh more than 150 kg/330 pounds. The deployment into the space involves around 600-700 satellites while the rest of them will stay on Earth as a backup in case of technical issues. The first 10 satellites will be build in Toulouse (France) while the rest of the production will take place in the U.S.A.
Alongside the aforementioned project there is another competitor, Elon Musk with his ambitions to create the satellite constellation and give internet access to disconnected locations. Musk's project involves the deployment of 4.000 satellites that would be launched by Falcon 9 rocket. While Airbus, Elon Musk, Facebook focus on satellites or drones, Google sets his sights on Project Loon which aims to provide internet access via high altitude balloons.
Source: Airbus Defence and Space
