OneWeb, the satellite broadband provider part-owned by the UK government, is facing a likely delay to its launch plans after Russian space agency Roscosmos said a planned rocket liftoff this week will be cancelled in retaliation for sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine.
The agency said the launch will not go ahead unless the British government sells its stake in the company and a guarantee is made that the satellites will not be used for military purposes.
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A Roscosmos director said this was in response to the sanctions issued by the UK to Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.
OneWeb, which is deploying a network of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to provide broadband internet services, was rescued from bankruptcy in 2020 by the UK government and Indian multinational Bharti Global.
As of last month, when it launched 34 satellites via an Arianespace rocket, the company had a total in-orbit 'constellation' of 428 satellites.
It has been hoping to add 36 more on Friday via a Soyuz rocket launch from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan as it aims to reach a planned global coverage of 648 LEO satellites by June.
But Roscosmos said in a statement today that the rocket will be removed from the launchpad unless OneWeb meets its two demands.
UK business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng responded in a statement that the government “is not selling its share” and that there would be “no negotiation” with Roscosmos.
“We are in touch with other shareholders to discuss next steps,” he added.