NEW DELHI - India successfully placed 36 satellites in space for a British communications firm on Sunday, consolidating itsas customers steer clear of Russian launch vehicles.
Roscosmos, Russia’s federal space agency, had said the launch of 36 OneWeb satellites could go ahead only if the firm guaranteed they would not be used for military purposes. It also insisted that the British government divest its stake in the company.suspended its six upcoming launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome.
“We have accomplished the orbit very accurately, now the rocket is in its intended orbit,” Isro chairman S. Somanath told the media following its launch shortly after midnight on Sunday. According to a Bloomberg report in September, OneWeb took a US$229 million write-down after Russia scuppered its launch plans and took 36 of its satellites hostage “indefinitely” in March. Since that fallout, the firm has finalised deals with American launch service providers SpaceX and Relativity Space.