British communications satellites OneWeb remain in Baikonur as foreign specialists left the cosmodrome, Tengrinews.kz reports.

What will happen to the satellites?

Russia refused to launch OneWeb satellites after the British government did not withdraw from the company's board of directors. The main reason cited was that the satellite company gave no guarantees that the satellites would not be used for military purposes.

The foreign specialists considered the possibility of finally removing the satellites from Baikonur, but were unable to do so because of logistical issues.

"The OneWeb team finished the work, sealed the rooms with the satellites, turned on the temperature and humidity regulation there, sealed the doors, and left the spaceport." 

The fate of the satellites will depend on the actions of the British government, source believes.

From Baikonur to SpaceX

Foreign specialists took part in the pre-launch work on the satellites under Glavkosmos contracts with the European launch services provider Arianespace and the Starsem company. Starsem owns the territory at Baikonur that is certified to Western standards and can only be accessed by foreign specialists.

Dmitry Rogozin, general director of the state corporation Roscosmos, said that OneWeb would go bankrupt after Roscosmos refused to provide the rockets. However, OneWeb entered into an agreement to launch satellites with the American SpaceX.

The first launch with SpaceX is anticipated in 2022 and will add to OneWeb’s total in-orbit constellation that currently stands at 428 satellites, or 66 percent of the fleet. OneWeb's network will deliver high-speed, low-latency global connectivity.

“We thank SpaceX for their support, which reflects our shared vision for the boundless potential of space. With these launch plans in place, we’re on track to finish building out our full fleet of satellites and deliver robust, fast, secure connectivity around the globe.”