Following the successful launch of its first four satellites last year, the next satellites of the O3b Networks constellation are scheduled to lift off from Kourou, French Guiana on board a Soyuz launcher on Thursday 10 July 2014 at 15:55 local time (18:55 GMT).
It was recently reported that Google plans to spend $1-billion on the launch of satellites to provide Internet access to under-served regions of the globe.
Many parts of the world, including parts of Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, do not have infrastructure conducive to 21st century communications in place. In many of these regions, the only way to provide this effectively, efficiently and in a timely manner is to do so using O3b’s fast fibre speed satellite network.
O3b Networks, founded in 2007 is already providing services to remote areas, following the launch of its first 4 satellite network in 2014. Now, O3b is poised to launch the latest satellites in its network, which completes an initial constellation designed to connect the “other 3-billion” (hence the name O3b) people on earth who don’t currently have any or good quality access to the Internet.
Arianespace will send four more satellites from the O3b constellation into a circular orbit at an altitude of 8062km with the eighth Soyuz launch from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana.
The network of satellites will deliver broadband connectivity everywhere on Earth within 45 degrees of latitude north and south of the Equator, including markets where demand is expected to remain higher than supply over the coming years.