MOSCOW, Mar 16 Neil Masterson, CEO of the British company OneWeb, said that the company has almost abandoned attempts to return 36 of its satellites from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at a cost of approximately $50 million.
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«I don't waste time thinking about it. We have made full progress. <…> It makes sense to return (satellites. — Approx. ed.), But I can tell you that I will not return them anytime soon,» Masterson was quoted as saying by Reuters.
As noted, Masterson, responding to questioning whether Russia's possession of sensitive commercial technology would cause security or competitiveness issues for OneWeb, said «this is a minor issue.»
In March 2022, Russia refused to launch another 36 OneWeb satellites after the British government did not want to leave the company's directors and no guarantees were received that the spacecraft would not be used for military purposes. According to the source, the satellites remained in Baikonur in a room sealed by foreign specialists, access to which is provided only with their consent.