Eutelsat files with FCC for new 528-satellite Next LEO constellation
Eutelsat
Eutelsat asked the FCC for US market access for a planned 528-satellite Next constellation alongside its existing OneWeb fleet.
what happened
Eutelsat, via its OneWeb-linked entity WorldVu Satellites, filed an application with the FCC on July 6 seeking US market access for Eutelsat Next, a planned non-geostationary satellite system of 528 satellites plus in-orbit spares at 1,220 km altitude, per Communications Daily and Space Intel Report. The filing describes a system using Ku-band links to user terminals and Ka-band links to roughly 50 gateway earth stations, with optical inter-satellite links under consideration; Next is designed to operate alongside, not replace, Eutelsat's existing OneWeb fleet and the 440 additional OneWeb satellites Eutelsat has on order from Airbus. Eutelsat told Payload the filing is "part of our long-term planning for the evolution of our LEO constellation" and that its LEO investment needs are "fully funded until 2030," while declining to confirm whether it has a firm plan to deploy all 528 satellites.
why it matters
A second, larger LEO fleet filed independently of the existing OneWeb build-out signals Eutelsat is planning capacity well beyond its current 440-satellite OneWeb expansion, positioning it to compete more directly with Starlink and Amazon Leo on scale; the filing is an early regulatory step, not a granted license, so any deployment is years away.
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- Eutelsat
- Category
- regulatory
- Impact
- notable
- SNR
- 4 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-07-06
- Published
- 2026-07-16 05:36 UTC