ELON Musk’s SpaceX is partnering with satellite firm OneWeb after Russia banned it from using its rockets.
Russia was supposed to help the British-backed satellite company launch satellites on a Soyuz-2.1b rocket.
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However, the launch planned for earlier this month was cancelled because OneWeb couldn’t meet Russia’s demands.
Russia said it wouldn’t take OneWeb’s satellites to space unless the British government sold its large stake in the firm.
OneWeb would also have had to agree that the satellites wouldn’t be used for military purposes.
These demands were not met so Russia cancelled the original March 4 flight.
The delayed launch meant OneWeb is behind on plans to complete its internet satellite constellation.
Luckily, OneWeb has made a deal with SpaceX to use its Falcon 9 rockets instead.
OneWeb CEO Neil Masterson said in a statement: “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.”
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OneWeb hasn’t confirmed how many satellites SpaceX will launch for it.
The company already has 66% of its satellites in orbit.
That’s an impressive fleet of 428 OneWeb satellites already floating in space.
SpaceX and OneWeb are technically direct competitors because Musk is also launching his own fleet or satellites called Starlink.
The value of the deal struck by OneWeb and SpaceX hasn’t been revealed but the latter can charge around $69million (£52million) to launch a Falcon 9 rocket.
This isn’t the first time Musk has taken a stance against Russia with SpaceX.
The billionaire previously said SpaceX will rescue the International Space Station if Russia tries to drop it from orbit after threats by Vladimir Putin’s space chief.
He also made sure his Starlink satellites were providing internet to Ukraine and sent more dishes to the country so more people could connect.
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