Russian space agency Roscosmos has announced it will not proceed with a planned launch of British OneWeb satellites that had been scheduled for Friday.
A Soyuz rocket carrying 36 OneWeb satellites was due to lift off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Friday. In the wake of international condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the status of that launch has become uncertain.
OneWeb is part-owned by the UK government. With NATO on heightened alert following the invasion of a sovereign European nation bordering several member states, the UK has taken a firm stance against the Russian government.
Roscosmos has set out two conditions for any future launch. The first demand is “legally binding” guarantees that OneWeb’s satellites will not be used for military purposes.
Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscosmos, initially said OneWeb had two days to provide those guarantees.
“If by 21:30 on March 4 we do not receive confirmation, the rocket will be removed from the launchpad and the satellites will be sent to the assembly and test building,” Rogozin said in an interview with the Russia 24 television channel.
In a subsequent statement on Twitter, Roscosmos added a second demand: that the British government withdraw its ownership stake in OneWeb.
Those conditions, particularly on such short notice, are effectively impossible to meet before the planned launch date.
Russia has been hit by sweeping international economic sanctions, including exclusion from parts of the global financial system, contributing to the country’s isolation.
Rogozin said OneWeb paid in full for the launch and that the funds would not be returned.
“We received all the money for the manufacture of launch vehicles, upper stages and the necessary launch services,” Rogozin said. “Because of force majeure circumstances arising from the West’s aggressive policy and the sanctions applied against Russia, these funds will remain in Russia.”
OneWeb currently operates 428 satellites in orbit and had only a few launches remaining to complete its planned constellation of 648 satellites, which would provide truly global coverage. All remaining launches had been scheduled from Baikonur in the coming months.
At present, OneWeb’s service reaches locations up to roughly 50 degrees north latitude. Ukraine is not covered by the existing constellation but would be served if the remaining satellites were launched.
Separately, reports indicate that rival Starlink supplied a batch of ground terminals to Ukraine to help maintain connectivity as the country defends itself.
Former UK government adviser Dominic Cummings, who supported the UK’s investment in OneWeb, has said the capability to provide services in crisis situations was among the factors considered when the government acquired a stake.
The planned launch was scheduled for 22:41 GMT on Friday. With Russia increasingly isolated, OneWeb and many other companies now face the need to find alternative launch partners.
Update: UK Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng confirmed the British government will not sell its stake in OneWeb.
Update 2: OneWeb’s board voted to suspend all launches from Baikonur and announced the company will turn to alternative providers such as Arianespace to complete its constellation.
(Image credits: Roscosmos, Baikonur Space Centre, TsENKI)
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