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Russia Races to Launch Rival to SpaceX's Starlink by 2027
(MENAFN) Russia is moving forward with plans to build a constellation of hundreds of low-Earth-orbit satellites, aiming to create a homegrown alternative to SpaceX's Starlink network in the United States.
The system, known as Rassvet, is slated to go live in 2027.
Russian aerospace company Bureau 1440 sent a second batch of satellites into orbit in July for the Rassvet program. During the launch, an unspecified number of satellites were released from the launch vehicle and handed off to the flight control center for management. That follows an earlier milestone at the end of March, when the firm placed its first production batch of 16 satellites into orbit.
Bureau 1440 had already put core technologies through their paces via experimental missions in 2023 and 2024, testing satellite communications, inter-satellite connectivity and ground-based systems.
By 2030, the company plans to have launched 292 satellites in total, spares included — with the option to scale the network up to 924 satellites should demand for capacity grow.
A Bid to Cut Foreign Dependence
Rassvet ranks among Moscow's flagship efforts to shrink its reliance on foreign-built communications and satellite infrastructure.
The project carries a projected price tag of roughly 103 billion rubles ($1.2 billion) from the federal budget, supplemented by around 329 billion rubles (nearly $4 billion) in Bureau 1440's own funds, through 2030. Separately, Moscow set aside about $45.6 million from a reserve fund in 2025 to cover development of the initial 16 satellites. All told, the project's funding is projected to climb to approximately $5.2 billion.
Speed, Latency and Technical Design
Bureau 1440's ambition is to deliver low-latency, high-speed broadband via low-Earth-orbit satellites to individual users, mobile carriers, transport companies, industrial sites, and customers in regions where communications infrastructure is scarce. The network is designed to offer user terminals internet speeds up to one gigabit per second, with latency as low as 70 milliseconds.
Rassvet's satellites run on 5G NTN communications architecture, allowing terrestrial mobile networks to interoperate with the satellite system, and are equipped with inter-satellite laser communications terminals. The firm has previously demonstrated a laser link transmitting data at 10 gigabits per second between two satellites positioned more than 1,000 kilometers (621.3 miles) apart — a setup that lets data hop between satellites in orbit rather than beaming directly to a ground station each time.
The satellites are also fitted with plasma propulsion and advanced power systems, enabling them to adjust their orbital position and stay under control throughout their mission.
Targeting Russia's Hardest-to-Reach Regions
Rassvet is expected to prove especially valuable in areas where laying fiber-optic cable is costly or logistically difficult, including Siberia, Russia's Far East, and the Arctic.
Several other Russian telecom firms are partnering with Bureau 1440 to weave satellite links into mobile infrastructure. MegaFon, one of the country's largest telecom operators, has struck a deal with Bureau 1440 to connect base stations lacking adequate terrestrial connectivity to the internet through Rassvet, with an initial target of integrating 500 base stations by 2027.
The system's reach is also expanding into transportation. Bureau 1440 is working with Russian Railways to bring satellite internet to Sapsan and Lastochka high-speed trains, with user terminal testing already underway. Separately, the firm is partnering with Aeroflot to bring high-speed internet service to aircraft.
The system, known as Rassvet, is slated to go live in 2027.
Russian aerospace company Bureau 1440 sent a second batch of satellites into orbit in July for the Rassvet program. During the launch, an unspecified number of satellites were released from the launch vehicle and handed off to the flight control center for management. That follows an earlier milestone at the end of March, when the firm placed its first production batch of 16 satellites into orbit.
Bureau 1440 had already put core technologies through their paces via experimental missions in 2023 and 2024, testing satellite communications, inter-satellite connectivity and ground-based systems.
By 2030, the company plans to have launched 292 satellites in total, spares included — with the option to scale the network up to 924 satellites should demand for capacity grow.
A Bid to Cut Foreign Dependence
Rassvet ranks among Moscow's flagship efforts to shrink its reliance on foreign-built communications and satellite infrastructure.
The project carries a projected price tag of roughly 103 billion rubles ($1.2 billion) from the federal budget, supplemented by around 329 billion rubles (nearly $4 billion) in Bureau 1440's own funds, through 2030. Separately, Moscow set aside about $45.6 million from a reserve fund in 2025 to cover development of the initial 16 satellites. All told, the project's funding is projected to climb to approximately $5.2 billion.
Speed, Latency and Technical Design
Bureau 1440's ambition is to deliver low-latency, high-speed broadband via low-Earth-orbit satellites to individual users, mobile carriers, transport companies, industrial sites, and customers in regions where communications infrastructure is scarce. The network is designed to offer user terminals internet speeds up to one gigabit per second, with latency as low as 70 milliseconds.
Rassvet's satellites run on 5G NTN communications architecture, allowing terrestrial mobile networks to interoperate with the satellite system, and are equipped with inter-satellite laser communications terminals. The firm has previously demonstrated a laser link transmitting data at 10 gigabits per second between two satellites positioned more than 1,000 kilometers (621.3 miles) apart — a setup that lets data hop between satellites in orbit rather than beaming directly to a ground station each time.
The satellites are also fitted with plasma propulsion and advanced power systems, enabling them to adjust their orbital position and stay under control throughout their mission.
Targeting Russia's Hardest-to-Reach Regions
Rassvet is expected to prove especially valuable in areas where laying fiber-optic cable is costly or logistically difficult, including Siberia, Russia's Far East, and the Arctic.
Several other Russian telecom firms are partnering with Bureau 1440 to weave satellite links into mobile infrastructure. MegaFon, one of the country's largest telecom operators, has struck a deal with Bureau 1440 to connect base stations lacking adequate terrestrial connectivity to the internet through Rassvet, with an initial target of integrating 500 base stations by 2027.
The system's reach is also expanding into transportation. Bureau 1440 is working with Russian Railways to bring satellite internet to Sapsan and Lastochka high-speed trains, with user terminal testing already underway. Separately, the firm is partnering with Aeroflot to bring high-speed internet service to aircraft.
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