KEY POINTS
  • Russian space agency Roscosmos is refusing to launch the next batch of 36 OneWeb internet satellites unless the company meets the state agency's demands.
  • OneWeb's mission was scheduled to liftoff on a Russian-built Soyuz rocket on March 4 from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
  • Roscosmos is demanding that the U.K. government sell its stake in OneWeb and that the company guarantee that the satellites will 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."
A Soyuz 2 rocket launches 36 OneWeb satellites on March 25, 2020 from Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia.

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 as scheduled for Friday, unless the company meets the state agency's demands. Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin said the ultimatum is a response to U.K. sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.