cancel2 2022
Canceled
ELON MUSK has sparked the fury of Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Olegovich Rogozin after the UK's OneWeb teamed up with their competition - SpaceX - to launch satellites into orbit without the Russian space agency's help.
NASA: Expert compares SpaceX to UK’s OneWeb
Up until this month, OneWeb had been launching the satellites that are building up its low-Earth-orbiting (LEO) communications “mega-constellation” on Roscosmos’ Soyuz rockets. However, in retaliation to sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, Mr Rogozin refused to green light the launch from Kazakhstan planned for March 5 until various demands were met. These included that the Government — OneWeb’s primary stakeholder — divest its stake in the firm, and that OneWeb provides assurances that the satellite constellation would not be used for military purposes.
Yesterday, OneWeb announced that it had entered into an alternative agreement, in which launch capacities would be provided by SpaceX.
The first launch under the newly forged partnership is expected to take place later this year — and will likely see another batch of 36 satellites transported up into orbit, replacing the deployment that had been planned for earlier this month.
To date, OneWeb has successfully placed 428 of its high-speed internet providing satellites into orbit, a number that represents 66 percent of its total planned fleet.
OneWeb CEO Neil Masterson said: “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.”
Mr Rogozin’s latest comments were made in response to a retweet of OneWeb’s partnership announcement by laser engraving specialist and self-proclaimed space exploration enthusiast, Katya Pavlushchenko.
Ms Pavlushchenko had said: “This is what I call a real cooperation and support in space! Congratulations to both @OneWeb and @SpaceX!”
In Russian, Mr Rogozin responded: “This is bull****. [SpaceX] isn't capable of doing what our [rocket] did (sic). OneWeb is doomed, regardless of your frantic applauding of this deal.
“What are you happy about? The story that the snake and the chicken are lucky to have met on a narrow path? That's demagoguery.
“I'm sad about OneWeb, but it's their own fault.”
In a separate, but conceptually linked tweet, Mr Rogozin responded directly to the original OneWeb post with a cryptic and context-free picture of a snake eating a small rodent, with the quip: “Bon Appetit"
https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1584300/elon-musk-uk-oneweb-russia-fury-rogozin-spacex
NASA: Expert compares SpaceX to UK’s OneWeb
Up until this month, OneWeb had been launching the satellites that are building up its low-Earth-orbiting (LEO) communications “mega-constellation” on Roscosmos’ Soyuz rockets. However, in retaliation to sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, Mr Rogozin refused to green light the launch from Kazakhstan planned for March 5 until various demands were met. These included that the Government — OneWeb’s primary stakeholder — divest its stake in the firm, and that OneWeb provides assurances that the satellite constellation would not be used for military purposes.
Yesterday, OneWeb announced that it had entered into an alternative agreement, in which launch capacities would be provided by SpaceX.
The first launch under the newly forged partnership is expected to take place later this year — and will likely see another batch of 36 satellites transported up into orbit, replacing the deployment that had been planned for earlier this month.
To date, OneWeb has successfully placed 428 of its high-speed internet providing satellites into orbit, a number that represents 66 percent of its total planned fleet.
OneWeb CEO Neil Masterson said: “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.”
Mr Rogozin’s latest comments were made in response to a retweet of OneWeb’s partnership announcement by laser engraving specialist and self-proclaimed space exploration enthusiast, Katya Pavlushchenko.
Ms Pavlushchenko had said: “This is what I call a real cooperation and support in space! Congratulations to both @OneWeb and @SpaceX!”
In Russian, Mr Rogozin responded: “This is bull****. [SpaceX] isn't capable of doing what our [rocket] did (sic). OneWeb is doomed, regardless of your frantic applauding of this deal.
“What are you happy about? The story that the snake and the chicken are lucky to have met on a narrow path? That's demagoguery.
“I'm sad about OneWeb, but it's their own fault.”
In a separate, but conceptually linked tweet, Mr Rogozin responded directly to the original OneWeb post with a cryptic and context-free picture of a snake eating a small rodent, with the quip: “Bon Appetit"
https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1584300/elon-musk-uk-oneweb-russia-fury-rogozin-spacex