Greg Wyler’s OneWeb constellation had a setback today (some foreign analysts expected this move). https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-fsb-oneweb-satellite-internet-venture-spying-soyuz/29607225.html Roskosmos's contract with OneWeb to launch 21 Soyuz rockets is believed to be worth around $1 billion. http://www.oneweb.world/ It's been a bright spot for Russia's wobbly space industry: A contract, estimated at $1 billion, to launch 21 Soyuz rockets over the next two (2) years carrying "micro-satellites" -- part of a U.S.-based company's plans to offer broadband Internet access over remote territories of the globe, including parts of Siberia. For the company, OneWeb, the effort was seen as a critical step in building out its "constellation of small satellites" and validation for investors who have put up nearly $2 billion. For Russia's space agency, Roskosmos, the contract was both a crucial source of private revenue, and a foothold in the burgeoning global market for small-scale satellite launches. Now, just months before the planned maiden launch, it appears that the Federal Security Service (FSB) may put a stop to it entirely. The daily newspaper Kommersant reported on November 13 that the FSB, Russia's primary security and intelligence agency, has serious misgivings about the micro-satellite venture. Citing unnamed government officials, the paper said the FSB feared that having an Internet provider whose signals would be transmitted via satellite would keep the agency from being able to filter and monitor Internet traffic. ==
