Elon Musk’s SpaceX Will Launch OneWeb Satellites After Russia’s Cancellation
OneWeb will turn to a competitor to carry its remaining first-generation internet satellites into space after Russian space agency Roscosmos joined the company earlier this month. On Monday, OneWeb announced Elon Musk’s SpaceX would launch its satellites. The private company will transport the rest of OneWeb’s constellation fleet, with the first launch scheduled later this year.
OneWeb CEO Neil Masterson said that they thank SpaceX for their support, reflecting our shared vision of the limitless potential of space. He also added that they are well on our way to finishing building our full fleet of satellites. And SpaceX is delivering robust, fast, and secure connectivity worldwide with these OneWeb satellites launch plans in place.
On March 3, Russia’s Roscosmos, just days before they scheduled it to put 36 OneWeb satellites into space, said it would not carry out any additional launches for OneWeb. Unless the company guaranteed that it would not use its network for military purposes, the UK sold its network on One Web.
The lawsuit came in response to sanctions that the United Kingdom imposed on Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24. At that time, the government of the UK said it would not sell its stake in OneWeb. Russian Soyuz rockets have accepted 428 OneWeb satellites into low Earth orbit. First-generation of the OneWeb network will eventually consist of it.
