OneWeb I reported signing an agreement with SpaceX To launch the remaining satellites. So the British company, funded by the British government, is expected to complete the constellation by the end of the year, but there is no confirmation. Roscosmos requested that specific conditions be respected to continue supplying Soyuz missilesused in the previous 13 launches.
SpaceX to Save OneWeb
at the beginning of the month, OneWeb Reported the suspension of the remaining six launches from the Baikonur cosmodrome, which were to be carried out with Soyuz missiles. The United Kingdom, the company’s main shareholder, supported the sanctions against Russia, so Roscosmos asked that two conditions be respected: Withdrawing government participation from OneWeb He assures that the satellites will not be used for military purposes.
Obviously, the answer was no. Then the Russian Space Agency removed the rocket from the launch pad (scheduled for March 5) and returned 36 satellites to OneWeb. The English company announced today that future launches will be carried out by SpaceX (the first is expected by summer). To complete the constellation, it must be placed in low Earth orbit 220 other satellites For a total of 648.
OneWeb contains to thank SpaceX for support, specifying the two companies They don’t compete. The OneWeb constellation will serve governments and businesses, while SpaceX’s Starlink service is offered to home users.
Among other things, the coverage of the OneWeb service is more limited. At the moment, tests have begun for some countries located above latitude 50 north (Canada, Alaska and the United Kingdom). It is not known at this time whether the launches will be carried out with Falcon 9 rockets or Falcon Heavy rockets.
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