January 10, 2023 / 2:41 AM EST / CBS News — Massimiliano Ladovaz (@M_Ladovaz) January 10, 2023 Operating in multiple orbital planes, OneWeb satellites will relay data between customers and ground stations around the world, providing global broadband connectivity for government agencies, companies, internet service providers and other users. The British government is a partial owner of OneWeb and uses its services for military communications. OneWeb relied on Russian Soyuz rockets for the company's first 13 launches, but preparations for the 14th were called off shortly before a launch last March in response to western sanctions imposed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine .Russia demanded that OneWeb sever ties with the British military. When the company refused, Russia confiscated the 36 satellites awaiting launch, throwing OneWeb's business plans into disarray. One of the 40 OneWeb satellites carried into orbit Monday is released from the Falcon 9 second stage. SpaceX webcast Faced with a major setback in its schedule, OneWeb built replacement satellites and arranged a flight last October aboard an Indian GLSV Mark 3 rocket. SpaceX also agreed to launch OneWeb satellites and the California rocket builder put 40 into orbit last December, boosting OneWeb's constellation to 504. While SpaceX is launching thousands of Starlink internet satellites — 3,666 have been launched to date — OneWeb plans a fleet of "just" 648 relay stations operating at higher altitudes, which enables global connectivity using fewer spacecraft. "We have very good relation with SpaceX in general," Massimiliano Ladovaz, OneWeb's chief technology officer, told Spaceflight Now before the first Falcon 9 flight. "We're not competing in the same markets; this is about, really, cooperation." Three more launches are planned to complete OneWeb's constellation: two aboard Falcon 9s and one atop another Indian GSLV Mark 3. Space & Astronomy More