Beyond Gravity delivers key products for OneWeb broadband satellite launch

The dispenser from Beyond Gravity which deployed all OneWeb satellites. Photo Credit: ISRO, OneWeb

As a key supplier to OneWeb (London, U.K.), a communications company that aims to build broadband satellite internet services, Beyond Gravity (Zürich, Switzerland) built and delivered key products — such as the carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) satellite dispenser — which placed all OneWeb satellites in orbit during a recent launch (see “ISRO/NSIL deploys 36 OneWeb satellites in first commercial LMV-3 rocket launch”).

The dispenser functioned as an interface between the LVM-3 rocket and 36 OneWeb broadband internet satellites that were deployed from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India. The Beyond Gravity dispensers for OneWeb are built in Linköping, Sweden. Each dispenser has a 1.7-meter central cylinder structure and a height of 5.5 meters.

“Our dispenser is super light and includes state-of-the-art technology to safely place the satellites in orbit,” Paul Horstink, executive vice president, Division Launchers, at Beyond Gravity. “Thanks to Beyond Gravity’s flexible dispenser design, only a minor adaptation has been required to make this compatible to fly on the Indian rocket.”

Airbus OneWeb Satellites

Airbus OneWeb Satellites — a joint venture between OneWeb and Airbus (Toulouse, France) — is OneWeb’s industrial partner and leads the design and manufacturing of OneWeb’s fleet of satellites.

OneWeb is building a communications network with a constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites that seek to deliver internet access around the world. Its most recent launch brought OneWeb’s total in-orbit constellation to 462 satellites, which represents more than 70% of its planned 648 LEO satellite fleet that will deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity. OneWeb expects to connect towns, villages, and local and regional municipalities in the hardest-to-reach areas, thus playing a critical role in bridging the digital divide.

Beyond Gravity also manufactured the OneWeb satellite backbone (structure) in Titusville, Fla., U.S. The structures are manufactured using an automated potting process, a production method that uses a pick-and-place machine to rapidly position special inserts filled with adhesive into the satellite structure’s sandwich panels.

The OneWeb satellites are protected from heat and cold in orbit by thermal insulation from Beyond Gravity. Photo Credit: Airbus OneWeb Satellites

Moreover, in Austria, Beyond Gravity produced the multilayer thermal insulation which protects the OneWeb satellites against the cold and heat in space from approximately -150°C to +150°C (-238°F to 302°F). The insulation consists of several layers of metal-evaporated polyimide film. Beyond Gravity in Austria also built handle equipment and transport containers.

“Our high-tech, custom satellite containers are used to transport the assembled OneWeb satellites from Florida to the launch sites,” Anders Linder, executive vice president, Division Satellites, at Beyond Gravity, adds. “The containers are equipped with a specifically designed damping system and climate control.”

See “RUAG rebrands as Beyond Gravity, boosts CFRP satellite dispenser capacity” to learn more about the company’s capabilities.