At the end of the 1970s, international efforts were made to facilitate the prospective joint launch of an ESA satellite using a Soviet rocket within the framework of Inmarsat. This episode was one of the first Soviet attempts to enter the international space launch market and fight the monopoly of American and European launch vehicles. Possessing a powerful potential and accumulated experience in the field of the rocket and space industry, the Soviet Union could technically compete with private USA companies and the new-born European Ariane. The problem, however, was not the quality of the “product” being sold, but the geopolitical conditions under which the deal was made. This chapter aims to analyse the factors that contributed to the failure of the agreement between ESA and Soviet institutions. The analysis considers the geopolitical context of Soviet-European relations, the influence of third-party involvement in bilateral negotiations, and an assessment of the actions taken by all parties.