Airbus Defence and Space has been awarded a contract by Eutelsat to build 340 more OneWeb Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, following a previous batch of 100 satellites procured in December 2024. Together, these 440 new satellites will ensure operational continuity of the OneWeb constellation, an Airbus press release said.
The total cost of the extension programme has been estimated at between €2 billion to €2.2 billion between 2024 and 2029, Eutelsat said last year. The satellites will be manufactured at Airbus Defence and Space’s Toulouse facility on a newly installed production line, with delivery from the end of 2026.
Eutelsat’s network is the only Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation apart from Elon Musk’s Starlink delivering high-speed, low-latency connectivity on a global basis. As such, Airbus has hailed the development of European manufacturing as “a further step for European sovereignty.” France invested €1.5 billion in capital in 2025, alongside the UK and other “anchor investors,” boosting Eutelsat’s ability to compete with Starlink.
Airbus has been awarded a contract by @EutelsatGroup to build a further 340 low Earth orbit OneWeb satellites.
— Airbus Space (@AirbusSpace) January 12, 2026
The satellites will be manufactured at Airbus Defence and Space’s Toulouse facility on a newly installed production line, with delivery from the end of 2026.
Learn… pic.twitter.com/uO9hicNv2w
“This latest contract from Eutelsat is an endorsement of our design and manufacturing expertise for LEO satellites. Airbus has been a key partner and supplier to Eutelsat for more than 30 years, and this award further cements our important relationship,” said Alain Fauré, Head of Space Systems for Airbus.
With over 600 satellites flying in 12 synchronised orbital planes, 1,200km above the Earth, the constellation brings high-speed internet to B2B clients, consumers, and governments all over the world. The new satellites will keep the service going as previous iterations reach the end of their operational life, as well as possibly providing new business cases, notably, Reuters said, through “embarkation capabilities for hosted payloads.”
Airbus promises the new satellites will integrate technology upgrades, including “advanced digital channelisers,” that provide enhanced onboard processing capabilities, as well as greater efficiency and flexibility, and design architecture intended to maximise long-term operational performance.
We are ready to connect you with confidence on a global scale. We will continue to deliver our proven and reliable commercial satellite communications like our fast OneWeb LEO & robust GEO solutions.
— Eutelsat Network Solutions (@EutelsatNS) January 7, 2026
🛰️ OneWeb LEO – Low-Latency & Reliable
🌎 GEO – High-Bandwidth & Global Coverage pic.twitter.com/06AT20yBMd
“We are pleased to rely on our long-standing partner, Airbus, for the procurement of these latest satellites,” said Jean-François Fallacher, Eutelsat Chief Executive Officer, adding that the contract would “ensure service continuity for the growing number of our customers and distribution partners benefiting from the unparalleled performance of our ubiquitous, low latency LEO capacity, and enable us to pursue our growth path.” That growth would be “on top of 80% topline expansion delivered in 2025,” he said.
However, Eutelsat’s forward trajectory might not be all plain sailing. Experts note the headwinds it faces in terms of cybersecurity and the complex regulatory frameworks surrounding its products, in particular as it pushes artificial intelligence into its infrastructure. SpaceX’s Starlink already dominates the environment and has Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval to expand to a constellation of 15,000 satellites.
Aside from the competition for business, there is competition for space. Low Earth Orbit is increasingly crowded. Starlink is lowering a batch of its satellites this year in order to reduce the risk of potentially catastrophic debris and collisions.
