Russia’s Roscosmos space agency says it will offer launch services on “favourable preferential terms” to customers wanting to utilise the cancelled OneWeb launch contracts (which were with Arianespace).

But first, according to Roscosmos director general, Dmitry Rogozin, clients have to have a friendly and respectful attitude toward Russia and its rocket and space industry.

“Considering that the rockets are already paid for, we are ready to offer other foreign partners launch services at discounted price. These are the countries that refused to join sanctions and treat our country and rocket and space industry respectfully,” Rogozin said.

According to reports there are six Soyuz-2.1b rockets ready, and “brand new” and the planning for their use is already underway. Rogozin added that Russian private satellite engineering companies have already applied to use the launches and rockets earmarked for OneWeb, but their satellites are too lightweight, therefore they will be launched as an associated payload with larger satellites.

Rogozin was speaking on April 12th, Russia’s ‘Cosmonauts Day’ and celebrating the day in 1961 when Yuri Gagarin made the first-ever human flight to outer space. Gagarin flew from Baikonur in Kazakhstan, but Russian president Vladimir Putin also used a visit to the new ’Far East’ cosmodrome in Vostochny to celebrate the occasion.

Other posts by :

1. Lynk Global requests “experimental” satellite access
2. Safran Space links laser direct to satellite
3. SpaceX fearful of AST SpaceMobile’s potential?
4. Equatys wants 2,800 new satellites
5. FCC eyes freeing up Weird Space Stuff spectrum
6. SES happy with releasing 160MHz of spectrum for 5G
7. Inmarsat “likely to win appeal” over Ligado/AST action
8. FCC seeks fair play over foreign satellite access
9. Bank raises RocketLab target price

Categories: Articles, Satellite

Tags: OneWeb, putin, Roscosmos, russia, satellite