CGI recently announced that it has designed and delivered a mission network management software system to support OneWeb, the low Earth orbit satellite communications company, for 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 for its business and government customers.
CGI said it 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.
Michele Franci, OneWeb’s Chief of Delivery
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.
Neil Timms, Senior Vice President for CGI’s UK and Australia Space, Defence and Intelligence operations
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.
