SpaceX Successfully Launches Multiple Satellites for OneWeb, Iridium, and Starlink.
SpaceX launched a technology demonstration satellite for OneWeb's second-generation broadband constellation, along with spares for the British firm's current low Earth orbit (LEO) network and another that U.S.-based Iridium Communications operates. OneWeb now has 633 first-generation satellites in LEO, although it only needs 588 to provide global coverage, with the rest serving as in-orbit backups. One of the satellites launched for OneWeb, JoeySat, is designed to test capabilities for a second-generation constellation the company has said could start deployments as soon as 2025.