OneWeb to launch satellites with rival SpaceX after suspending ties with Russian company

March 21 (Reuters) – Weeks after Moscow compelled the Eleventh-hour cancellation of a rocket launch for British satellite tv for pc enterprise OneWeb from Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the corporate stated on Monday it has contracted with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to ship its satellites into orbit.

Phrases of the cope with California-based SpaceX, a direct competitor of OneWeb within the burgeoning broadband satellite tv for pc business, weren’t disclosed.

Earlier this month, OneWeb known as off the scheduled March 4 launch of 36 satellites from Baikonur and suspended ties with Russia’s area company Roscosmos due to last-minute calls for imposed on the corporate by Moscow, together with a assure that OneWeb’s know-how wouldn’t be used for army functions. learn extra

The OneWeb launch scrub got here amid heightened tensions between Russia and NATO governments, together with Britain, over financial sanctions imposed in opposition to Moscow by the West in response to Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.

The British authorities, which holds a stake in OneWeb, additionally stated it was reviewing its participation in additional initiatives with Russia in mild of the Ukraine disaster. learn extra

The British satellite tv for pc agency expects its first launch with SpaceX later this yr so as to add to its constellation of 428 satellites already in low-Earth orbit.

“With these launch plans in place, we’re on monitor to complete constructing out our full fleet of satellites,” OneWeb Chief Government Officer Neil Masterson stated.

OneWeb, which plans to supply common broadband by means of a community that can in the end include 650 satellites, was rescued from chapter by the British authorities and Indian telecoms big Bharti World in 2020. Eutelsat Communications (ETL.PA) and SoftBank Group Corp (9984.T) are amongst different traders within the agency.

SpaceX’s Starlink, one in every of a number of ventures within the fast-growing satellite tv for pc broadband enterprise, together with Amazon.com Inc subsidiary Mission Kuiper, has put some 1,500 satellites in operation, offering web entry to areas underserved or laborious to succeed in for different providers.

Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Further reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Modifying by Maju Samuel and Jonathan Oatis

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