UK gov't pressures its OneWeb satellites to call off Russian rocket launch, Roscomos says it will oblige highlighting West's sanctions

Jonathan Amos
BBC
Wed, 02 Mar 2022 12:00 UTC

ReutersImage caption, OneWeb uses Russian rockets to get its satellites into orbit

The UK government has been urged not to allow a rocket used by a company it part-owns to lift off from a Russian-run launch pad later this week.

A Soyuz rocket carrying 36 satellites for the internet firm OneWeb is set to go up from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Friday.

But Commons business committee chair Darren Jones called it inappropriate following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Asked to comment, the government said it was in conversation with OneWeb.

The company itself has made few public utterances on the topic.

UK taxpayers helped buy OneWeb out of bankruptcy in 2020 with a £400m stake.

This gave the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) a seat on the board of the resurrected company, and influence, Labour MP Mr Jones said.

"Much like the ask of BP and Shell, OneWeb should not be continuing to engage in commercial activities with Russian companies," he told BBC News.

"Ministers should be working with the OneWeb board to help secure this outcome as soon as possible."

OneWeb has just a handful of launches left to complete its network of 648 satellites.

All of the missions are booked on Russian Soyuz vehicles that are scheduled to fly out of Baikonur in the coming months. It's understood OneWeb has already paid for this rocket service.

With the existing spacecraft it has in orbit (428), the company can deliver broadband internet connections to locations above 50 degrees North, which includes business customers such as BT in the UK, but it needs those additional satellites if it wants to run a truly global service.

Regions important to the company's prospects, including Europe, Africa and Asia, would be left out.

Mr Jones' letter is addressed to science and space minister George Freeman. The Labour MP wants to know what the government - in its capacity as a major shareholder - is doing to help OneWeb find alternative rockets.

The problem for the company is there is currently very little lift capability available.

European rockets such as Ariane-5 or Ariane-6 are either already booked up, or not yet available. And, in any case, shifting to a different type of vehicle would require expensive and time-consuming re-engineering of the mechanism that holds the satellites on top of the Soyuz and ejects them in space at the required time.

A UK government spokesperson told BBC News: "It is right for questions to be raised about future space cooperation with Russia following the illegal invasion of Ukraine. We are monitoring the situation closely and engaging regularly with our partners, keeping next steps under review."

The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, said the latest Soyuz, with its payload of 36 OneWeb satellites, would be transported to the Baikonur launch pad on Wednesday.

The launch is timed for 22:41 GMT on Friday (03:41 local, Saturday).

Comment: CNN reports on Russia's response:

The business fallout from the war in Ukraine is about to extend to outer space.

OneWeb, a London-based satellite startup striving for global internet connectivity and a key competitor to Elon Musk's StarLink satellite internet constellation, was set to launch a batch of 36 internet satellites Friday as part of its plan for a 648-satellite constellation. But those plans are now in jeopardy as Roscosmos, Russia's space agency, appears set to roadblock the effort.

A Russian-built Soyuz rocket operated by France's Arianespace SA was meant to deliver the satellites into low Earth orbit, launching from Russia-owned Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. OneWeb and Russia inked a multi-year deal for satellite launches, with the company launching its satellites exclusively on Russia's Soyuz rocket.

But Dmitry Rogozin, Director General of Roscosmos and a former Deputy Prime Minister with a flair for inflammatory rhetoric, is refusing to go ahead with what should be a routine launch in response to UK sanctions on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. The agency is requiring that the UK government sell all stakes in OneWeb and that the company guarantees the satellites will not be used for military purposes, according to an ultimatum spelled out on Twitter from Roscosmos' offical account. Roscosmos stressed the demands are "due to the UK's hostile stance towards Russia" on Wednesday. The deadline for requests to be met is 9:30 pm Moscow time Thursday, Rogozin said in an interview with Russia 24.

Rogozin has tweeted flamboyant statements in the past in response to Western sanctions -- namely in 2014 after the Russian annexation of Crimea. "After analyzing the sanctions against our space industry, I suggest to the USA to bring their astronauts to the International Space Station using a trampoline," Rogozin said at the time on Twitter following US sanctions against Russia's space sector.

Why would Rogozin become inflammatory after Russia reuniting with Crimea? CNN seems to intentionally omit that 2014 was the US backed bloody coup in Ukraine, that's in part what Rogozin was responding to.

Despite Rogozin's flamboyant tweets and interviews, the United States and Russia have historically cooperated in space. While tensions on Earth have led to threats of premature exit, Rogozin has promised Russia will remain NASA's partner at the International Space Station at least until the station is eventually retired.

British lawmakers shown no sign of bending to Roscomos and submitting to demands.

Note that Rogozin's is responding to the West's actions, this isn't just Russia concocting demands on a whim.

"There's no negotiation on OneWeb: the UK Government is not selling its share," tweeted Kwasi Kwerteng, UK Business and Energy Secretary on Wednesday. "We are in touch with other shareholders to discuss next steps..." OneWeb did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment.

Note that the US is completely reliant on Russia's rocket technology, and apparently so is the UK; and, as Rogozin recently pointed out, the US' recent refusal to cooperate with Russia on the International Space Station is actually putting lives at risk: 'Who will prevent a deorbit impact?' Russian space chief warns US that sanctions could have disastrous effect on International Space Station cooperation

Also check out SOTT radio's: NewsReal: The Truth About The Russia-Ukraine War

UPDATE: Roscosmos announced reciprocal sanctions today, with Rogozin stating: "In this situation, we can no longer provide the US with the best rocket engines in the world. Let them fly on something else - their brooms."