Credit: OneWeb
When OneWeb and Russia’s Roscosmos cut off cooperation last year, stranded at the Baikonur Cosmodrome were 36 OneWeb satellites to be lofted into orbit via a Soyuz booster.
According to Novosti-Kosmonavtiki citing a Reuters story, the head of OneWeb, Neil Masterson, has abandoned attempts to return the satellites from Baikonur.
The British company reportedly has practically stopped trying to return its satellites worth about $50 million from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Soyuz rocket removal, topped by OneWeb satellites back in March 2022.
Image credit: Roscosmos via Twitter
Future fate
As posted by Novosti-kosmonavtiki: “I don’t waste time thinking about it. We have completely switched to other tasks. Their return would be valuable, but I can say that I won’t get them back for the foreseeable future,” Masterson said.
Masterson added that the question of the future fate of the satellites may be resolved in the course of intergovernmental negotiations in the future. He also called it “an insignificant problem” the fact that Russia gained access to commercial technologies that OneWeb uses in its satellites.
“In July last year, Masterson, along with some other top managers of Western companies, was included in the Russian sanctions lists in response to sanctions by the United States and other Western countries against Russian business,” the Novosti-kosmonavtiki posting says.
To access the Reuters story, go to:
