March 3, 2022
The Russian space agency, Roscosmos has threatened to halt the launch of satellites belonging to UK-based satellite company OneWeb unless certain demands are met.
The demands include the sale of the UK government’s share of OneWeb and also, the guarantee that the satellites will not be used for military purposes.
According to Roscosmos, the recent action from Russia is triggered by “Britain’s hostile stance against Russia.”
Responding to the demand from Russia, UK Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarten rejected the demands.
“There’s no negotiation on OneWeb: The UK government is not selling its share,” Kwarten tweeted.
In 2020, the UK government purchased OneWeb as part of a $500 million bailout deal.
One-web planned to launch three dozens of internet satellites on March 5. The satellites are being carried in a Soyuz rocket, which has been rolled out to the Russia-operated Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad.
For more information, read the original story in ZDNet
