Launch of Russian Starlink analog postponed due to satellite production failure
In Russia, the launch of the first batch of 16 low-orbit broadband internet (BBI) satellites, which was supposed to be carried out by "Bureau 1440" at the end of last year, has been postponed, writes "Kommersant".
In September, the head of "Roscosmos", Dmitry Bakanov, promised that by the end of 2025, the deployment of the first 300 satellites for the "Rassvet" project constellation would begin in orbit, which is intended to become an analog of Elon Musk's Starlink system and provide "internet access at any geographical point".
According to two sources in the space market, the postponement of the launch of the first 16 spacecraft until 2026 may be due to the fact that the required number of spacecraft has not yet been assembled. "Bureau 1440" for its part stated that the company is carrying out work "in accordance with target deadlines" and promised to provide information on the progress of the project "as [stages] are completed".
"Exact launch dates and other sensitive information are not subject to disclosure," the message states.
Despite the opinion of "Kommersant"'s sources, in December, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Digital Development Dmitry Ugnivenko stated that "Bureau 1440" had produced the 16 satellites necessary for launch last year.
102.8 billion Russian rubles (1.3 billion dollars) have been allocated from the federal budget for the implementation of the project within the framework of the national project "Data Economy". Another 329 billion rubles (4.34 billion dollars) will be contributed by "Bureau 1440" from its own funds (until 2030).
In June 2025, Bakanov stated that under the "Rassvet" project, more than 900 low-orbit satellites designed to provide BBI would be launched by 2035. Commercial operation of more than 250 of them is expected to begin in 2027. It is also planned to deploy more than 100 additional remote sensing satellites.
According to the description of the federal project "Internet Access Infrastructure" of the national project "Data Economy", 16 first satellites were supposed to be launched into orbit in 2025, their number would reach 156 in 2026, 292 in 2027, and 318 in 2028. To achieve this, 24 launches are planned by 2030. Currently, only six "Bureau 1440" satellites, launched as part of two experimental missions, are deployed in orbit.
Elon Musk's SpaceX Starlink network has a constellation of more than 7,000 satellites deployed in orbit at an altitude of 550 km.
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