UK Rejects Russian Space Agency's Demands for Launch of OneWeb Internet Satellites

The corporate internet space race has taken a geopolitical turn. Russian space agency Roscosmos is refusing to launch the next batch of 36 OneWeb internet satellites Friday, unless the company meets the state agency's demands. From a report: Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin particularly emphasized that the ultimatum is a response to the U.K. sanctioning Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Roscosmos said in a statement that the Soyuz rocket will be removed from the launchpad at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan unless OneWeb meets two demands: 1.The U.K. government sells its stake in the company.2. OneWeb guarantees that the satellites not be used for military purposes. U.K. Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said in a statement that there is "no negotiation" with Roscosmos about OneWeb and that the government "is not selling its share." Kwarteng added, "we are in touch with other shareholders to discuss next steps."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.