10 Feb 2022 22:16

Soyuz rocket launch carrying OneWeb satellites performed smoothly - Rogozin

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - The launch of a Soyuz-ST-B launch vehicle carrying OneWeb communications satellites from the Guiana Space Center went smoothly, Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin said.

"Launch went well. The separation of the nose cone with the Fregat upper stage and spacecraft took place at the planned time," Rogozin wrote on Telegram.

The launch vehicle lifted off from the Guiana Space Center at 9:09 p.m. Moscow Time.

The satellites should separate from the Fregat upper stage over the next four hours.

There are a total of 394 OneWeb satellites in orbit at the moment, and Thursday's launch is to bring the number of satellites in orbit to 428.

Low-orbit OneWeb satellites are designed to provide broadband Internet access via direct satellite communication.