DistantNews
Support us
Russia's Starlink Rival Suffers Major Setbacks as Satellites Fail
🇱🇹 Lithuania /Technology

Russia's Starlink Rival Suffers Major Setbacks as Satellites Fail

From Delfi · () Lithuanian

Translated from Lithuanian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Russia's attempt to create a domestic alternative to Starlink is facing significant technical difficulties, with multiple satellites failing to reach their intended orbits or malfunctioning shortly after launch.
  • At least two satellites from a recent launch are expected to burn up in the atmosphere, while others are struggling to maintain altitude due to atmospheric drag at lower orbits.
  • The project, named Rassvet, aims to provide global high-speed data transmission and is seen by Russia as a response to the US Starlink system, with plans for a large constellation of up to 900 satellites.

Russia's ambitious "Rassvet" satellite internet project, intended as a domestic rival to Elon Musk's Starlink, is encountering severe technical setbacks. At least two satellites launched on July 20, 2026, are likely to be lost, according to space analyst Anatoly Zak.

These satellites never ascended to a higher orbit, descended below 300 km and will likely disintegrate and burn up upon entering denser atmospheric layers.

— Anatoly ZakDescribing the fate of two malfunctioning satellites from a recent launch.

These satellites failed to ascend to higher orbits, dropping below 300 km and are expected to disintegrate upon entering denser atmospheric layers. Another three satellites are also descending after failing to reach their intended higher orbits, currently hovering between 310-330 km. Nine other satellites are still attempting to reach higher orbits but are significantly lower than their counterparts from the first Russian "Starlink" launch.

During the initial launch in late March, "Buro 1440," the company behind Rassvet, deployed 17 satellites. One failed to reach its orbit and fell in early June. Fourteen others achieved an orbit slightly above 500 km but, according to Zak, none reached the targeted 800 km orbit specified by "Buro 1440."

Rassvet-3 satellites are having trouble reaching the required orbit.

— Jonathan McDowellCommenting on the orbital insertion difficulties of the Russian satellites.

While the 500 km orbit is functional for high-speed data transmission, it presents challenges. Increased atmospheric resistance at this altitude requires more fuel for station-keeping, thereby shortening the satellites' operational lifespan. "Rassvet" plans to eventually deploy 350 satellites for global coverage by June 2025, expanding to 900 later. The project, valued at 430 billion rubles, is Russia's answer to Starlink, with commercial operations slated for 2027. President Vladimir Putin has stated the system will be used to control combat drones, claiming it rivals or surpasses Starlink.

It is in no way inferior to Starlink, and perhaps in some ways surpasses it.

— Vladimir PutinComparing the Russian Rassvet system to the US Starlink.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Delfi in Lithuanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog