Elon Musk says SpaceX will ‘do the right thing’ for UK satellite competitor OneWeb

Both companies aiming to deliver global internet coverage through vast satellite constellations

A string of SpaceX Starlink satellites passes over an old stone house near Florence, Kansas, 6 May, 2021 (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann, File)

SpaceX boss Elon Musk has said his company will “do the right thing for OneWeb”, despite the UK satellite company being a rival to its Starlink space internet service.

OneWeb, which is backed by UK taxpayers, was forced to abandon planned launches aboard Russian Soyuz rockets after the invasion of Ukraine last month.

Unable to launch its own rockets, OneWeb entered negotiations with SpaceX to deliver its internet satellites into orbit aboard Falcon 9 rockets, which led to a successful collaboration between the two competitors.

Speaking about the deal on Twitter this week, Mr Musk said, “SpaceX will do the right thing for OneWeb, even though they are a competitor.”

Negotiations between the two companies reportedly took only 72 hours, with future launches taking place from Cape Canaveral, Florida, using the polar launch corridor reopened by SpaceX in 2020 for the first time in 50 years.

The first OneWeb launch taking place using SpaceX rockets is anticipated later this year, with the hope of completing its satellite constellation to beam high-speed internet back to Earth.

“We thank SpaceX for their support, which reflects our shared vision for the boundless potential of space,” OneWeb CEO Neil Masterson said in a statement following the deal.

“With these launch plans in place, we’re on track to finish building out our full fleet of satellites and deliver robust, fast, secure connectivity around the globe.”

Once completed, SpaceX’s Starlink network will be far bigger than OneWeb’s, but both will deliver global coverage.

The rapid pace of SpaceX’s Starlink launches over the last 18 months mean there are now more than 2,000 satellites in its network, with plans in place to deliver another 2,000 more within the next 18 months.

If successful, Mr Musk will be in command of roughly two thirds of all active satellites orbiting Earth.