UK Launches First Satellites With New Space Partner India

Описание: Britain’s, post-Brexit space ambitions, took flight on Friday, with the launch of 36 satellites for the partly state-owned, One Web network, that’s competing with Elon Musk, to offer broadband internet, from space
The launch was from, the Vostochny Cosmodrome, in eastern Russia, is the first for One Web, since the U.K. bailed out the startup, with the help of Indian billionaire, Sunil Mittal.
Their $1 billion investment gives, the two partners a stake in one of the hottest, and riskiest areas of space investment, in low earth orbit communications
In an interview, Mittal said, it signals a new space partnership, between the U K, and India.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose government pushed through the investment, despite reservations from senior civil servants, is due, to visit New Delhi next month to seek a post-Brexit trade deal, with India
Mittal told, This will be the first time, when the U.K. will be able to speak to India, on a new trade deal, new co-operation, intelligence-sharing.
and, a lot of close co-operation is expected, between the two nations, especially with the U.K. coming out of its European Union restrictions, or shackles,
The investment in July, by Mittal’s Bharti Enterprises, and the U.K. is a precarious one.
No low-earth orbit broadband network has ever turned a profit, and the ground-based terminals are complex and costly.
One Web will now have 110 satellites, in space, on the way to a target of, 6 48, and aims to offer commercial services, by mid-2022.
Musk has sent up, almost 1,000 Starlinks, and is testing the service, with potential customers
Mittal said, he expects One Web to be close to profitability, after 24 months, and there is interest from industrial partners,
other satellite operators and financial investors to plug a $1.5 billion funding gap, as soon as January.