Russia cancelled its scheduled launch of OneWeb's satellites over the British government's ownership stake in the company. Now the launch will be handled by SpaceX.
The choice of launch provider is perhaps unusual since SpaceX is a competitor putting up a satellite constellation of its own. But SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is a reliable workhorse that will keep OneWeb on track. The company said its first launch would come later this year.
In a statement, the company did not say how many of its satellites SpaceX would launch or how many launches it would take. As of now, , or 66 percent of the fleet, the company said, that would provide Internet capability to ground users.“We thank SpaceX for their support, which reflects our shared vision for the boundless potential of space,” OneWeb CEO Neil Masterson said in a statement. “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.
That didn’t take more than a couple of weeks. And Russia’s decision to refuse to launch the satellites had perhaps an unintended consequence — handing SpaceX another launch contract and another potentially substantial deal.
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