Main Engine Cut OffOneWeb Downsizes Initial Deployment
Caleb Henry for SpaceNews:
Greg Wyler, OneWeb’s founder, said the company will need only 600 satellites or so instead of 900 after ground tests of the first satellites demonstrated better than expected performance.
And later on in the article:
Wyler said 600 is the minimum needed for global coverage. Beyond that, OneWeb is deciding whether it will add 300 first-generation satellites or shift to a second-generation constellation designed to layer on more capacity.
Sounds like they are delaying 300 satellites, not specifically downsizing the entire constellation. If they’ve determined they don’t need 900 satellites worth of initial capacity, then that’s fine. But if they made the decision for some other reason like funding or schedule—which I have to believe is the case—then that’s not such a good sign, specifically for a company that is going through CEOs at a rate like they have been over the last few years.