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CGI supports OneWeb to help optimize management of its satellite constellation

Dec. 7, 2021

CGI designed and delivered a mission network management software system to support OneWeb, the low Earth orbit satellite communications company enabling connectivity for governments, businesses and communities in the optimization, configuration and operations of its satellite fleet and ground stations. The software system, delivered by CGI teams in the UK and Canada, is a core part of the overall OneWeb ecosystem, which enables high-speed low-latency connectivity anywhere on land, at sea and in the air. OneWeb aims to deliver coverage above 50 degrees north by the end of 2021, starting the work to bridge a long-standing connectivity gap and building secure communications capability fo r its business and government customers.

Michele Franci, OneWeb's Chief of Delivery, said: "CGI has been instrumental in bringing OneWeb to service readiness, by delivering the central ground control systems that allow our network and satellite operations teams to oversee and manage the system resources and provide seamless and continuous coverage and availability to our customers. It has been a long journey, and CGI has been part of the OneWeb family since its early days. We are grateful for the continuous support that will extend to the operational phase, allowing OneWeb to maintain very high levels of customer service."

Neil Timms, Senior Vice President for CGI's UK and Australia Space, Defence and Intelligence operations, said: "We are delighted to support OneWeb in delivering global high-speed connectivity services. CGI is uniquely placed to support OneWeb's constellation of satellites through our long-term heritage and deep domain knowledge of secure mission-critical command and control ground systems. The systems developed by our team manage vast quantities of data that include approximately 8 billion data points evaluated every day to ensure OneWeb offers the best possible service to its clients."

CGI has supported OneWeb since 2017, enabling the critical Mission Planning and Network Control software for their ongoing launch program to build a 650-strong fleet of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites and 40 ground- stations. CGI developed bespoke software using both agile and waterfall methodologies and integrated best-of-breed COTS products into a CGI secure private cloud, while delivering a 24/7 managed security service to enable OneWeb to control its satellite communications network.

The CGI systems optimize the communications capacity available to users while complying with regulatory, technological, environmental, operational and inventory constraints, all of which will change on a second-by-second basis for each of the 650 active satellites and 9,000+ beams as they move across the Earth's surface at around 7 kilometers per second. A typical 24-hour plan schedules around 60,000 handovers of satellites between ground stations. The solution not only adapts to major changes as new satellites are launched, operated and replaced, but also the evolving ground segment topology.

For more than 40 years, CGI has delivered complex, mission-critical space software systems for clients across Europe, Australia, Asia and North America, from supporting satellite navigation, communications and operations, to space-enabled applications.