Russia refuses to launch OneWeb internet satellites following UK sanctions

Russia’s space agency has refused to launch internet satellites unless the company provides assurances they will not be used for military purposes and the UK sells . Roscosmos was scheduled to launch 36 satellites on a Soyuz rocket on Friday.

Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said the agency made the demands in response to the UK issuing sanctions against Russia following its invasion of as reports. Among other things, the government Russian ships from entering UK ports and sanctioned most of Russia’s financial system.

Kwasi Kwarteng, the UK’s business and energy secretary, suggested Roscosmos’ demands were a non-starter. “There’s no negotiation on OneWeb: the UK Government is not selling its share,” . “We are in touch with other shareholders to discuss the next steps.” Rogozin he’d give the UK two days to reconsider.

To date, 428 OneWeb satellites have been launched to low Earth orbit on Soyuz rockets. OneWeb plans to provide global internet coverage from space using .

Meanwhile, SpaceX has Starlink satellite internet terminals to Ukraine following . It’s believed that the government may use Starlink to stay online as the conflict continues.