OneWeb launches 34 satellites from Kazakh cosmodrome

On Friday 7th, as part of its effort to make broadband internet access available via satellite by 2021, UK firm OneWeb launched 34 satellites from its cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. This is the second OneWeb launch out of a planned 21 following OneWeb’s agreement with France’s Arianespace and Russian space agency Roscosmos where OneWeb committed to launching all satellites using Soyuz rockets. The competition to provide internet access via satellite has been increasing with companies led by Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos among those leading the charge. OneWeb’s founder plans to place 648 satellites into orbit and begin commercialising the service during 2020.