Overview
- Bureau 1440, which launched 16 Rassvet satellites Monday, said the craft separated from a Soyuz-2.1b rocket, reached a reference orbit, and began checkouts before moving to their target slots.
- The new satellites carry a 5G non-terrestrial network payload, laser links to pass data between spacecraft, upgraded power systems, and plasma thrusters for in-orbit maneuvering.
- ICS Holding’s Alexey Shelobkov said full deployment will take dozens of launches, and Roscosmos has projected commercial service next year once the fleet tops about 250 satellites with a longer goal of roughly 900 by 2035.
- Funding includes a reported 102.8 billion rubles in state support and 329 billion rubles in planned company investment through 2030 to serve sectors such as transport, oil, energy, telecoms, agriculture, and emergency services.
- The project is framed as a domestic alternative to SpaceX’s Starlink, which already has thousands of satellites in orbit, with reports citing more than 7,000 to about 10,000.