Eutelsat uses SpaceX rocket to launch first satellites after merger

By Supantha Mukherjee

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Eutelsat, the world’s third-largest satellite operator by revenue, launched 20 satellites for its communications network on Sunday, using Elon Musk’s SpaceX in a first move since two European companies merged last year.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base carrying Eutelsat satellites at 05:13 GMT.

“This is the first OneWeb satellite launch since the merger,” CEO Eva Berneke said in an interview with Reuters. “We will launch more satellites in the coming years.”

The Paris-based group, which was formed in September last year through the merger of France’s Eutelsat and Britain’s OneWeb, has a constellation of over 600 low-Earth satellites that serve broadcasters, telecommunications companies and radio stations.

“We really want to integrate into the telecommunications ecosystem,” Berneke said. “Satellites are an interesting niche in the overall connectivity ecosystem, where telcos are the big players in their class and satellites will always play a smaller role.”

Eutelsat counts telecom operators such as France’s Orange and Australia’s Telstra among its customers and is in discussions with others such as AT&T in the US

The company, which has a $4 billion backlog, is waiting for countries like India and Saudi Arabia to open up.

India – a market expected to grow 36% annually to $1.9 billion by 2030 – is in the process of allowing satellite services. Tensions arose between domestic players and companies like Starlink.

“Part of our backlog is in the Indian market…It will stay there until India opens and the day it opens we will start construction,” Berneke said.

The company is also in talks with airlines to offer in-flight connectivity, including Internet browsing, and expects sales to increase starting next year, she said.

(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Stockholm; Editing by William Mallard)