MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th September, 2022) South Korea's plans to launch its satellites using Russian rockets from the territory of Russia later this year have been scrapped in light of Seoul's participation in sanctions against Moscow, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported on Wednesday, citing a government document.
Earlier in the year, the South Korean government planned to launch a multipurpose satellite, known as the Arirang 6, with Russia's launch vehicle Angara 1.2 from the Plesetsk cosmodrome and a next-generation satellite from the Baikonur cosmodrome using Russian Soyuz rocket.
The South Korean Ministry of Science and ICT submitted a document to the country's parliament where it considered it "difficult" to implement plans on satellite launches with Russian rockets as the country joined sanctions against Russia after its military operation in Ukraine, according to Yonhap.
To change initial plans, the government had to adopt a new budget, in which satellite deals with Russia would be nullified and contacts with new partners would be signed, the news agency said, citing the document.
US company SpaceX and the European Space Agency are among those who could provide South Korea with such launch vehicles as Falcon or Ariane.
On February 24, Russia began a military operation in Ukraine responding to calls for help from the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. Western countries and their allies responded by imposing comprehensive sanctions against Russia.
Earlier in the month, the United States sanctioned three Russian space entities it claims play vital roles in strengthening Moscow's defense capabilities. These include the Rossiyskiye Kosmicheskiye Sistemy, Academician M.F. Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems and the Research and Production Association S. A. Lavochkin.
