Roscosmos: Russian Soyuz-2.1b Rocket With OneWeb Satellites Installed on Launch Pad

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Soyuz-2.1b rocket, scheduled to carry UK's OneWeb communications satellites into orbit on December 27, has been moved to the launchpad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the Russian space agency said on Friday.

"On Friday, 24 December 2021, the Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with the Fregat upper stage and 36 OneWeb spacecraft was rolled out from the assembly and testing facility of the Site 31. Now the Soyuz-2 / Frigate / OneWeb space rocket is installed at the Vostok launch complex of the Baikonur Cosmodrome and is being prepared for the launch, which is scheduled for December 27 at 16:10 Moscow time [13:10 GMT]," Roscosmos said in a statement.

In June 2015, Russian space agency Roscosmos signed contracts with OneWeb and Arianespace for 21 commercial launches from Baikonur, the Guiana Space Centre, and Vostochny spaceports. In September 2020, OneWeb reduced the number of launches to 19, eleven of which have already taken place. In 2022, six launches are planned from Baikonur, as well as one launch from the Guiana Space Centre.

OneWeb satellites are developed to create a space communication system providing a high-speed Internet access anywhere on Earth. OneWeb is set to start delivering commercial satellite communications services at the end of 2021.