Eutelsat used a SpaceX rocket to launch its first satellite after the merger

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 its first move since merging the two European company last year.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket take off, with Eutelsat satellites from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base at 05:13 GMT.

“This is the first OneWeb satellite launch since the merger,” Chief Executive Officer Eva Berneke told Reuters in an interview. “We will launch more satellites in the coming years.”

The Paris-based group, formed by the merger last September between France’s Eutelsat and Britain’s OneWeb, has a constellation of more than 600 low earth orbit satellites serving broadcasters, public telecommunications and radio companies.

“We really want to integrate into the telecommunications ecosystem,” Berneke said. “Satellite is an interesting segment in the overall connectivity ecosystem, where telcos are the big players in the class and satellite will always be a smaller part.”

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

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

India – a market expected to grow 36% a year to $1.9 billion by 2030 – is in the process of permitting satellite services. It has been experienced friction between domestic players and companies like Starlink.

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“We have some backlog in the Indian market… It will be there until India opens, the day it opens we will start construction,” Berneke said.

The company is also in talks with airline companies to offer in-flight connectivity, including internet browsing, and expects revenue to start growing next year, she said.