Russia now has its own rival to Elon Musk’s SpaceX. In a Telegram post, Russian space company Bureau 1440 announced that it had launched 16 broadband internet satellites into low-Earth orbit. According to a report by Russian news agency TASS, the satellites were deployed at 8:24 p.m.
local time on March 23 and have since reached their reference orbit, where they are now being managed by the company’s mission control systems.The launch is part of a broader effort by Russian authorities to develop a domestic alternative to satellite internet services such as SpaceX’s Starlink. According to the company, the newly launched Rassvet satellites are designed to support high-speed internet connectivity as the network begins early operational deployment.
“On March 23, at 8:24 p.m. (5:24 p.m. GMT), the first batch of 16 communication satellites of the low-orbit constellation of the Russian aerospace company (part of the Intelligent Computer Systems (ICS) Holding) was launched.The satellites were successfully placed into a reference orbit, separated from the Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket, and were taken under control by the Bureau 1440’s Mission Control Center. After their onboard systems are checked out and activated, they will begin their journey to the target orbit,” the space company told TASS.The report noted that the spacecraft will integrate a 5G NTN communications system, an upgraded power supply system, next-generation satellite-to-satellite laser communication terminals, and a plasma propulsion unit.
What Bureau 1440 said about launching broadband Internet satellites
In its Telegram post, Bureau 1440 shared a video showing shots of the separation of BUREAU 1440 satellites from the launch vehicle. The company wrote (translated from Russian), “The first satellites of the BUREAU 1440 target communication grouping are in orbit. On March 23 at 20:24, the first batch launch of 16 BUREAU 1440 spacecraft took place. After reaching the supporting orbit, the satellites quickly separated from the launch vehicle and were taken under the control of the BUREAU 1440 mission control center. Next is the verification of onboard systems and movement to the target orbit. The launch of the first satellites of the target grouping is the transition from experiments to the creation of a communication service. The BUREAU 1440 team has completed this journey in 1000 days — this is the time that separates the launch into orbit of experimental and serial satellites. Ahead are dozens of launches and hundreds of satellites of the Russian low-orbit grouping for a communication service with global coverage. Space is in communication!”According to Alexey Shelobkov, the next phase will focus on deploying the satellite constellation, including multiple launches and an increase in the number of satellites in orbit.
“The Bureau 1440 team completed this journey in 1,000 days—that’s how long it takes for experimental and production satellites to be launched into orbit. This is a complex engineering path associated with technological risks, but it is precisely these systems that will form the basis of the global data transmission infrastructure,” he told TASS.Founded in 2020, Bureau 1440 is building and operating a satellite network in low Earth orbit to offer broadband internet access at speeds up to 1 Gbps and with low latency, similar to the SpaceX Starlink network.The service is expected to be used across sectors such as transportation, oil and energy, industry, agriculture, telecom, government, emergency services, tourism, and geological exploration. The project is part of Russia’s Data Economy and Digital Transformation of the State national initiative.
