SpaceX will be launching 40 satellites as part of OneWeb broadband network expansion. The internet service will benefit Elon Musk's company.
The liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket, which carries the internet satellites, will be on Thursday, Dec. 8, at 5:27 PM ET.
OneWeb Prepares First Launch With SpaceX
According to an early report by Spaceflightnow, the network of internet satellites will be released from Kennedy Space Center before the weekend.
The 45th Weather Squadron of the US Space Force said there's a 90% chance that the weather will be favorable by the time the liftoff starts.
As per their weather forecast, there will be a lot of clear skies on the launch date. The temperature is expected to be mild, as well.
SpaceX aims to succeed in the first-time launch of OneWeb internet satellites into space. If it successfully passes the test, the next potential landing might occur at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
As part of the OneWeb 1 mission, SpaceX notes that this would be the fourth launch under this booster. The same module was used for the ISS delivery of SpaceX Dragon cargo last year.
According to Space.com, another batch of Starlink internet satellites made use of the booster and the Hotbird 13F spacecraft that took off two months ago.
The Falcon 9 rocket will deliver the OneWeb satellites into space. The spacecraft deployment will start at the post-launch (58 minutes). It is expected to end 30 minutes after the process.
You can visit SpaceX's website if you want to watch the liftoff. You can also go to YouTube to see the latest coverage of the event.
Related Article : SpaceX Falcon 9: 48th Launch on 2022 Done, Achieves Record for Most Launches for a Spacecraft
OneWeb as Starlink's Competitor
For those unfamiliar with OneWeb, it operates a similar service to SpaceX's Starlink. At the moment, over 460 units of the spacecraft have already gone into orbit.
A huge number of the spacecraft are reportedly operating under Arianespace, an aerospace firm in France.
OneWeb's deployment has been affected by the previous scuffle between Ukraine and Russia. Because of the conflict in Western Europe, the company decided to push the negotiation with another company, which is SpaceX and NSIL or New Space India Limited.
The involved firms have not talked about specific details about the terms of the contracts.
Meanwhile, Promin Aerospace from Ukraine is currently preparing for the launch of its very first satellite next year. The announcement came amid the ongoing war between the two countries.
Since the location of the site needs to be private, the company did not reveal the location of its lab. This is because Promi wants to guarantee that its staff will not worry about the war.
If there's no geopolitical conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Promin might expand its project across Kyiv and other nearby cities. However, it will set aside this plan for the safety of all workers.
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