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Soyuz

Russia seeks OneWeb swap for Soyuz parts

Back in March 2022, Russia’s Roscosmos Space Agency, in effect, confiscated 36 OneWeb broadband satellites. The satellites had been due to be launched on a Russian-built – but Arianespace managed – Soyuz rocket on March 4th from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The hijacked satellites have remained at Baikonur ever since. At the time, Roscosmos […]

January 16, 2023By Chris Forrester

OneWeb reviews launch options

Last week, following high-level discussions and a major dispute between Russia and the UK and Indian-backed OneWeb, OneWeb pulled out of its March 4th launch using a Russian rocket from Baikonur managed by Russia’s Roscosmos space agency.  The decision impacts not only this single launch of satellites but also a series of future – and […]

March 7, 2022By Chris Forrester

Russian invasion casts doubt over OneWeb launch

Russia’s space agency Roscosmos has suspended its cooperation agreement with Arianespace and is pulling out staff from the French launch site at Kourou in French Guiana. Roscosmos boss Dmitri Rogozin has tweeted confirming the action which he says is in retaliation over the trade sanctions imposed on Russia. The Russian Tweet said: “In response to […]

February 28, 2022

OneWeb next launch on Dec 27

Russia’s Roscomos space agency says that the next batch of OneWeb satellites will launch on December 27th, subject to the usual weather conditions. Roscosmos Chief Dmitry Rogozin, talking at the EAEU business forum Space Integration on Decenber 3rd, said: “The launch of a Soyuz-2.1b rocket with OneWeb satellites is planned for December 27.” The launch, […]

December 6, 2021By Chris Forrester

OneWeb has 218 craft in orbit

The May 29th launch of an additional 36 satellites into their orbital slots means that OneWeb is close to 80 per cent of its needs to launch initial services. The launch took the OneWeb fleet to 218 satellites. OneWeb’s near-term target is to reach those nations and regions north of 50 degrees Latitude well before […]

June 4, 2021By Chris Forrester

OneWeb adds 36 to LEO fleet

A Russian Soyuz 2.1b rocket safely delivered 36 OneWeb broadband satellites into orbit on Friday evening, May 28th. The launch was managed by Arianespace. “The launch went according to plan,” Dmitry Rogozin, the head of the Roscosmos space agency, said on messaging app Telegram. They were orbited from Russia’s Vostochny launch site. While the launch […]

June 1, 2021By Chris Forrester

Success for OneWeb launch

An Arianespace Soyuz rocket successfully placed 36 OneWeb satellites into orbit, and OneWeb says that contact has been made with each satellite and that they are healthy. The launch took place from Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome on April 25th at 23.14 BST. It took almost four hours to dispense the satellites in nine batches. The success […]

April 26, 2021By Chris Forrester

OneWeb adds 36, faces UK criticism

There were a few tense moments immediately prior to the launch of the giant Soyuz rocket at Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome when the countdown clock went past the ‘3-2.1-Zero’ command, but a few seconds later, the engines burst into life and the 36-satellite payload for OneWeb launched. Some four hours after its 12.26pm (GMT) launch and […]

December 21, 2020By Chris Forrester