One thousand days after Russia tested its first experimental Rassvet satellite, a Soyuz rocket lifted 16 production spacecraft from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on March 23, 2025. Bureau 1440 placed the batch into a parking orbit—a temporary holding orbit—then transferred control to its Mission Control Center for final maneuvering to target altitude. The launch transforms a laboratory project into an operational broadband network.
The shift matters because Russia is now building a domestic alternative to global satellite internet services. The Rassvet constellation will deliver 5G NTN (Non‑Terrestrial Network) communications directly to mobile devices across the nation, bypassing ground infrastructure and competing with established LEO providers such as Starlink, which serves millions of customers worldwide.
Each Rassvet satellite carries a 5G NTN payload, inter‑satellite laser links, upgraded solar arrays, and plasma thrusters (electric propulsion devices) that cut fuel mass by roughly 40 percent. The plasma propulsion units enable precise orbital adjustments without costly refueling. Laser links route data between satellites, reducing the need for ground stations and improving coverage over remote areas.
The project secured 102.8 billion rubles (approximately $1.1 billion USD) in federal funding and 329 billion rubles (approximately $3.6 billion USD) in corporate capital through 2030. Six experimental units already circle the planet. The new batch raises the total to 22 satellites, moving the constellation toward the minimum viable size needed for nationwide coverage.
According to company statements, dozens of additional launches will be required to reach the full constellation of several hundred satellites.
Bureau 1440 must execute dozens more missions to complete the network, secure spectrum allocations—the radio frequencies needed to transmit data—and demonstrate latency and throughput that can support cloud‑based AI and immersive media. If the rollout succeeds, Russia could offer a low-Earth orbit broadband alternative to services that currently dominate the market. The next milestone is the first user‑terminal activation, projected for late 2026.
