British Satellite Launch Canceled in Row Between Nations

OneWeb's cancellation of the next low-orbit satellite launch is set in stone now, as its steed, the Soyuz 2.1b rocket assigned to the mission, has been removed from its launch pad and will proceed to be disassembled in the coming days. 

The rocket's 36 satellites remain on board at the moment, without any indication if they will be returned or seized. OneWeb's target to have 648 satellites in orbit by year's end has been proceeding exclusively with the Russian space agency, a relationship made all the more complicated by the fact that OneWeb's ownership lies partially with the United Kingdom’s government, the result of a near-bankruptcy and government investment. That stake in the company was seen by Roscosmos as a sort of quasi-state entity, bolstering worries that the OneWeb satellite network had additional functions from internet service. Earlier in the week, the head of Roscosmos, responding to a series of sanctions set upon the country - in everything from banking to feline exhibitions - said that the launch would not proceed until OneWeb divested its British state ownership and guaranteed that the satellites would never be used for military purposes. 

In response, OneWeb's board canceled the flight, stating that all future work between the two was suspended indefinitely.

The money already paid for the next 6 launches in series, and the satellites unloaded from the launcher face an uncertain future. The company feels comfortable that they can find a replacement launch service, with options ranging from SpaceX, Rocket Lab, ArianeSpace, and the like from around the allied world. 

In a Roscosmos statement the agency affirmed the fact that the rocket would be disassembled "The Soyuz-2.1b rocket with the Fregat booster and OneWeb satellites has been taken to the assembly and testing facility. Roscosmos specialists will disassemble it into integral parts in the coming days," said a company spokesman on social media. 

FMI: www.oneweb.net