Roscosmos requested letters of guarantee from Arianespace and OneWeb that the OneWeb satellites, scheduled to be launched on March 5 from the Baikonur cosmodrome, will not be used for military purposes. Otherwise, the Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with 36 satellites will be removed from the launch complex and sent to the assembly and test building.
The head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, said that the company's response should be provided by 21:30 on March 4 - before the meeting of the commission, which gives permission to refuel and launch the rocket. On February 26, Dmitry Loskutov, General Director of Glavkosmos JSC, stated that the launch of OneWeb satellites would take place in accordance with plans.
Another condition for the launch of satellites is the withdrawal of the British government from the shareholders of OneWeb.
“We have serious doubts about how OneWeb will behave in such a situation when the [UK] government is the controlling shareholder,” Rogozin said. Earlier, the American SpaceX provided equipment to the Armed Forces of Ukraine to provide communications.
Rogozin also said that the contract for the launch of satellites has been paid, and the funds will not be returned if it is cancelled.
Preparations for the launch are now ongoing, according to Roskosmos. Satellite systems and assemblies are being tested, the interaction of onboard equipment and ground equipment is being checked. General tests will be held on Thursday afternoon, and a commission meeting is scheduled for Friday evening.
Roskosmos claims that if the launch is canceled, the removal of the rocket from the launch complex will take place without consequences. In particular, the chemical current sources of the Frigate upper stage are charged until the end of April 2022, and the calibration of the control system allows its use until May. The Frigate propulsion system is filled with fuel components, it can be used until August 10 this year.
On February 28, the ESA called the launch of ExoMars in 2022 unlikely, explaining this by Russian actions on the territory of Ukraine. The agency said that it would consider alternatives to the Russian Soyuz, in particular the Vega C and Ariane 6 rockets. The agency deplored the conflict in Ukraine and explained that it makes decisions based not only on the interests of people working on scientific programs, but also of European values that determined the approach to international cooperation. Therefore, the ESA intends to fully comply with the sanctions imposed against Russia by the participating countries. On the same day, NASA announced the continuation of cooperation with Roscosmos.
bbabo.Net