OneWeb: UK satellite company that had Russian launches pulled after Ukraine invasion comes back – with SpaceX

The OneWeb launch was due to use Russian Soyuz rockets at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan (Gareth Fuller/PA) (PA Archive)

OneWeb, the UK satellite company that was unable to conduct its launches on Russia rockets after the invasion of Ukraine, is coming back on board SpaceX rockets, it has announced.

OneWeb became a test of how much tensions between Russia and other countries on the ground would affect their co-operation in space. The Russian space agency was due to send a host of its satellites into space soon after the war began – and after a number of confrontation, OneWeb had to pull out of the launch.

Since then, it has been unclear what would happen both to the satellites that are still at the Russian cosmodrome, as well as with OneWeb’s future launches. The space internet company is unable to launch its own satellites, and had been booked for a number of future launches on Russian Soyuz rockets.

Now it says those launches will instead be conducted by SpaceX, with the terms of that deal staying confidental.

The first of the launches is expected this year, OneWeb suggested, though there was no indication it would be a one-off.

“We thank SpaceX for their support, which reflects our shared vision for the boundless potential of space. With these launch plans in place, we’re on track to finish building out our full fleet of satellites and deliver robust, fast, secure connectivity around the globe,” said OneWeb’s chief executive, Neil Masterson.

OneWeb aims to offer a similar service to SpaceX’s Starlink. Both are putting constellations of satellites into space, in the hope they will offer fast and reliable internet coverage by beaming data back down to the ground.