A Russian analogue of Starlink will be operational this year.

February 19 2026 5 017 44

The launch of the Russian low-orbit communications satellite constellation Rassvet, being developed by Bureau 1440 as a domestic equivalent of Starlink, is scheduled for the first quarter of 2026, according to Dmitry Bakanov, Director General of Roscosmos. According to Maksut Shadayev, Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media, 16 satellites have already been produced.

The initial phase of the constellation will consist of 300 devices, with plans to expand it to 950 in the future. The system is expected to provide data transfer rates of up to 1 Gbps and will be able to operate anywhere on the planet, including Arctic routes, including the Northern Sea Route.

– the system developers explain.

It is emphasized that work is simultaneously underway to create a high-orbit constellation in geostationary orbit. Its deployment is planned for 2029–2030, with construction of the first four satellites already underway.

As a reminder, the need to create a domestic equivalent of the Starlink satellite communications system became particularly acute after SpaceX shut down its terminals in the area of a special military operation.

Russian Armed Forces personnel acknowledge that this has caused some difficulties in operating the UAVs. However, the Russian Ministry of Defense emphasizes that the troops are fully equipped with the necessary communications systems.

It is worth noting that, according to military analysts, the Rassvet satellite constellation should have been deployed several years before the start of the special military operation in Ukraine.

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Ron

+4

19 February 2026 15: 25

I am plagued by doubts
AlOrg

+2

19 February 2026 15: 31

He didn't make it to the war, just like Armata and the coalition.
1. svoroponov
  
  -1
  
  26 February 2026 18: 37
  
  Yes, they used Armata tanks in the Kharkov direction near Vovchansk. They took out a large stronghold there with three of them. They were then withdrawn without losses. Although they withstood a fair amount of fire from various anti-tank systems. The "Afganit" performed well in defense, didn't miss a beat, and the guns' accuracy was beyond praise, as were the tank sights. I don't think they were seen anywhere else after that. Or maybe they just don't report where they're being used anymore. So they were tested in combat. They had been used somewhere before that, at the beginning of the operation, and then they were withdrawn to upgrade tank protection and the crew's surveillance devices.
k7k8

+5

19 February 2026 15: 34

The initial phase of the constellation will consist of 300 devices, with plans to expand it to 950 in the future. The system is expected to provide data transfer rates of up to 1 Gbps and will be able to operate anywhere on the planet, including Arctic routes, including the Northern Sea Route.

To achieve this, the Russian constellation of the stated size would need to be larger than the American one and operate in polar orbits. But the project is sound, albeit somewhat belated.
prior

+3

19 February 2026 16: 43

This was stated by Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Bakanov.

Well, if Bakanov said so, then of course.
Bakanov is such a space specialist, Korolev is resting.
Does Bakanov have microelectronics for satellites? Or is it the same old story?!
1. k7k8
  
  +1
  
  19 February 2026 17: 37
  
  Quote: prior
  Does Bakanov have microelectronics for satellites?
  
  Yes, there are. They launch satellites, Soyuz and Progress spacecraft fly. Yes, it's not enough. Yes, I'd like to see more. But that doesn't change the fact that Russian space is alive.
  1. prior
    
    0
    
    20 February 2026 08: 56
    
    Wasn't it under Bakanov that the launch pad at Baikonur almost flew into space?
    Do you know the story of the bankruptcy of the Zelenograd plant "Angstrem", which produces microchips?
    Therefore, I would say that Russian space is still alive.
    It will never again have the resources, the base, and the sales market that the US and China have to become equal to them.
    1. k7k8
      
      -1
      
      20 February 2026 12: 33
      
      Could you please clarify which side the 130-ton piece of iron accidentally fell on was connected to the microelectronics? And by the way, it wasn't the entire table that fell, just the ground-level maintenance area.
      Not only Angström went bankrupt, but also several other companies, including Crocus. It's a common occurrence in a market economy, especially under sanctions. But microelectronics using 42nm technology (which is precisely what's needed in space) isn't dead.
      Money is certainly tight. But everyone, everywhere, doesn't have enough. There are no exceptions. Even the Saudis, with their enormous petrodollars, shut down the Mirror Line project. At least Roscosmos isn't developing a $10 coffee spoon, unlike NASA.
      Has the market been lost? In a sense, yes. For now. Roscosmos will have to get off its butt and get a little more involved. So, Russian space is definitely alive.
      1. prior
        
        -3
        
        21 February 2026 09: 23
        
        Roscosmos will have to get off its butt and get a little busy.
        
        Apparently, that's why Roscosmos is prioritizing building new offices for its own backyards in place of Khrunichev, rather than new satellites and rockets. They're already getting busy.
        Time will tell the rest.
        
        k7k8
        
        0
        
        21 February 2026 09: 27
        
        Khokhlopitek looks for dirt everywhere.
        
        prior
        
        -3
        
        21 February 2026 09: 29
        
        First, learn to spell the word "pridot'ya" without mistakes.
        The letter Й in this word is used only in the Ukrainian language.
        And who's the khokhlopitek here, that's still a question.
        
        k7k8
        
        +2
        
        21 February 2026 11: 51
        
        Quote: prior
        And who's the khokhlopitek here, that's still a question.
        
        That's not a fact. Experience shows that non-native Russian speakers often write more competently than native speakers. You're simply confirming this. But that's not a fact either. Judging by the speed of your response to my mistake, you were simply looking for an excuse to use your most compelling argument. But that's not a bad thing either, since at least you read my posts carefully.
        
        prior
        
        -3
        
        22 February 2026 09: 05
        
        Of course of course.
        I am not me and the last hut is not mine.
        What does it mean to read thoughtfully?
        Agree with you that we have the most advanced space and microelectronics?
        If I weren't involved in assembling microchips for this space, I would think twice.
        Could you tell me what century the microchip production equipment at our plants is from? Do they manufacture their own equipment in Russia? That's exactly it.
        Antistatic bracelets are also Chinese.
        
        k7k8
        
        +1
        
        22 February 2026 12: 23
        
        Quote: prior
        Agree with you that we have the most advanced space and microelectronics?
        
        Please point out this statement of mine, Mr. chatterbox.
        
        Quote: prior
        Could you tell me what century the equipment for microchip production at our plants was manufactured?
        
        Or even the year before. In space, neither 2 nm nor 4 nm are needed. Not even 10 or 20. I don't know about now, but not long ago, in the US, onboard digital computers on spacecraft were built around 40386 and 40486. This was precisely because of the high-tech process technology and, consequently, excellent radiation resistance and low temperature requirements. Now, practically no one can tell you what these beasts are without a wiki.
        
        Quote: prior
        Antistatic bracelets and those Chinese ones
        
        Not because no one makes them, but because no one orders them. And for that, thanks to your slow-moving management. For any craft workshop, this is a piece of cake. Just give the specifications, and then pay for the order. And something tells me that this last point is where the real trick lies.
        
        Do you produce your own equipment in Russia?
        
        Do you seriously think that all countries should manufacture their own full range of equipment and products? That's certainly possible, but that could make even matches golden.
    2. svoroponov
      
      +2
      
      21 February 2026 19: 10
      
      Bankruptcy isn't about closing a business. It's often a process involving writing off a number of debts, followed by a possible simple change of ownership, perhaps even a change of bank details and name. I've personally participated in several similar enterprise acquisitions for our firm. It's just that at the dawn of privatization, some good businesses fell into the hands of those who couldn't manage them effectively under the changed conditions of capitalism or who prioritized immediate personal enrichment over business development. There are plenty of such people among you now, no secret. If you come into possession of a huge amount of money, you can immediately see where you'll spend it: a furnished house of at least two stories, an apartment, cars (preferably prestigious ones), a dacha, real estate abroad and a bank account (in case you have to flee there for various reasons), and so on. Investing in the business will be your last priority, if you even consider it. This is the grief that plagues business owners and others like them.
      1. prior
        
        -3
        
        22 February 2026 08: 54
        
        If you get your hands on a huge amount of money
        
        Thank you.
        Thank you for being so honest about your wet dreams.
        But what does this have to do with me? I only listed the facts.
        Electronics, by the way, isn't a business. It's like space, if you like. You can't touch anything there, you can't see anything there. Mastering it is as complex and endless as space exploration.
        Cavalry charges will achieve nothing.
        
        svoroponov
        
        +3
        
        26 February 2026 18: 54
        
        Honestly. I never dreamed of being rich. I always dreamed of becoming a very good specialist, and preferably (before that, I had shoulder boards and planes) a versatile one, at an engineering level. An entrepreneur can fail, and then what? But if you have a good head and hands, and you thoroughly understand a profession, and more than one, and you're a good engineer, then it's pretty hard to go broke. You'll always find work, and those types are the last to get fired. Some of you have probably seen this for yourself. And it works under both socialism and capitalism. And the principle is: First, you work for authority, and then it works for you.
        
        prior
        
        -3
        
        27 February 2026 08: 18
        
        I never dreamed of wealth.
        
        There is no need to slander others either.
        Principle:
        
        First you work for the authority, and then it works for you.
        
        It worked during Soviet times. Today, a different principle applies:
        
        I pay you, so you will do what I want.
        
        And then there is conflict and a search for a new job.
        This is something I have encountered more than once.
        
        svoroponov
        
        +2
        
        27 February 2026 11: 29
        
        It's with tyrants like these that companies and firms get into trouble. I was lucky, because I could figure out who was running the company before I even got hired. And there were times when I even put tyrants like that in their place. There was a time when one of those people fired me for doing things the right way, not the way he told me to. He forced others to redo everything, do it his way, and lost three million crowns (a pretty hefty sum for a company at the time) in fines because of his poor decision. He brought me back in a fit of tears. After that, it worked out well for him, and everything went back to normal. After that, he stopped interfering with the specialists' decisions with instructions like, "I said so," and that's it. So, conflicts are just different. And then there are tyrants who are simply incorrigible. These are precisely the people who have money (often not earned themselves or simply from a one-time transaction) but know little themselves and want to show off their expertise, or, due to their ignorance, force others to make decisions or perform tasks they don't understand, don't understand the technology, and can't calculate the consequences. It's definitely more difficult with people like that.
        But still, in any team, first you earn authority and then it works for you, or: first prove yourself as a competent and smart specialist, earn authority, and then everyone will simply listen to you, right up to the manager.
        
        prior
        
        0
        
        28 February 2026 09: 41
        
        I could give a ton of examples too. But...
        Examples cannot prove anything and cannot disprove anything.
        As someone connected to aviation, you believe we're heading in the right direction. But I see that the point of no return has already been passed.
        A question of faith.
        
        k7k8
        
        -2
        
        27 February 2026 14: 53
        
        A fiery speech from a typical loser
  2. Olives
    
    0
    
    27 February 2026 14: 16
    
    More alive than dead?
    1. k7k8
      
      -2
      
      27 February 2026 14: 49
      
      No, he's just alive. No matter how much you wish he weren't. And no matter how much you practice the manual, convincing others of it.
Vladimir Yaitsky

-1

19 February 2026 18: 28

A few years before the Second World War, Mys and Grandma Merkel hugged in Minsk. There was no time for that.
1. svoroponov
  
  +1
  
  21 February 2026 19: 28
  
  So what? Merkel turned out to be a liar, this, about Minsk. And this is the leader of Germany, the locomotive of Europe. Lie at such a level?
  Now everyone knows that concluding treaties with Europe and believing in any agreements with it are not worth the paper they are written on.
  What does Putin have to do with it? He didn't violate them. On the contrary, he adhered to what was written and signed, and that often costs a lot for normal countries in the world.
Real_pots

+1

20 February 2026 06: 30

Its deployment is planned for 2029-2030.

Is this a joke? We need it right now, not in three years. It's amazing how we're stalling and creating problems for ourselves.
1. k7k8
  
  +2
  
  20 February 2026 12: 41
  
  Read carefully and keep your emotions in check—the geostationary constellation is scheduled to deploy for the timeframe you saw. Deployment of the low-orbit constellation will begin within a month or two.
  God willing, it will work out!
  1. Real_pots
    
    -1
    
    20 February 2026 13: 02
    
    That's the point, you have to rely more on GOD
    1. k7k8
      
      -1
      
      20 February 2026 13: 05
      
      It's bad that you only read and understood the last sentence of the entire post.
      1. Real_pots
        
        -2
        
        20 February 2026 13: 18
        
        Well, you shouldn't overestimate your intellectual abilities.
        
        k7k8
        
        0
        
        20 February 2026 13: 42
        
        Not at all. I'm worried about yours.
  2. Strelok1976
    
    -1
    
    20 February 2026 19: 02
    
    If bets were accepted for these dates, indicated by the author of the article, would you place a bet?
    1. k7k8
      
      +1
      
      20 February 2026 19: 15
      
      Have you been measuring your entire life in terms of money and stakes? And for you, every government action has become, God forgive me, a deal?
Arkady007

0

20 February 2026 10: 20

How will Russia launch 2000 satellites in a year, which don't even exist yet, just like Baikonur?
1. k7k8
  
  +1
  
  20 February 2026 12: 45
  
  What does Baikonur have to do with this? According to Kyiv, Russia only has one cosmodrome? These satellites could be launched in batches by a single launch vehicle from both Mirny and Vostochny. In a pinch, even Kapustin Yar is still possible. Russia's record for simultaneous satellite launches is 53 spacecraft. It was set on November 5, 2024, when a Soyuz-2.1b rocket with a Fregat upper stage successfully launched two Ionosfera-M satellites and 51 small satellites into orbit. The launch vehicles are there. Can we churn out satellites, essentially cheap relay stations with no special reliability requirements? Even with the help of engineering students.
2. svoroponov
  
  +2
  
  21 February 2026 19: 37
  
  Regarding Baikonur, the platform is already nearing completion. Its base was taken from a platform not used for launches (Gagarin's), and many of the parts were in repair stock, plus production and technical documentation are still in operation. So it will be ready in about two or three months. As for military satellite launches, Plesetsk, not Baikonur, is used. And also Satan-type rockets, which are being taken off combat duty (these can launch from silos under the guise of routine inspections). They've already started replacing them with other rockets, Sarmat rockets, anyway. Still, if you're going to write something, you need to have a good handle on the topic.
Valera75

0

21 February 2026 09: 49

A Russian analogue of Starlink will be operational this year.

cool, and I say this without sarcasm or any jokes, but

The launch of the Russian low-orbit communications satellite constellation Rassvet, being developed by Bureau 1440 as a domestic equivalent of Starlink, is scheduled for the first quarter of 2026, according to Dmitry Bakanov, Director General of Roscosmos. According to Maksut Shadayev, Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media, 16 satellites have already been produced.

How much would it take for this Starlink analogue to function, at least for the guys in the North Atlantic Ocean? All 16, or even 30 by launch, wouldn't be constantly present and only over Russian territory at any one time.
How many of them need to be running to get not 100% and gigabit speed, but at least more or less functioning and at 100 megabits of internet speed?
1. svoroponov
  
  +1
  
  21 February 2026 19: 59
  
  Firstly, our satellites can replace several Starlink satellites in terms of capabilities; we need fewer of them (one of ours can replace up to five Starlinks). Secondly, Starlink covers the Earth's surface over many regions, while our satellites will currently operate in a specific band, with their coverage gradually expanding. Why do we need satellites over Antarctica and other distant lands where ours don't exist and won't for now? Besides, a different type of communication operates there, which doesn't require mass production. Perhaps they'll equip our type of Starlink analog in the form of belts over the required surface areas. So the 16 satellites we have, plus those in production, some of which have already been deployed and are working for the military, will be quite sufficient for now. And also stratospheric balloons (already tested and being put into mass production) and stratospheric aircraft (this prototype is already being tested, up to altitudes of 20-35 km so far, but they want to increase the operating altitude to 40-60 km above the ground).
  So everything is already in progress.
  1. k7k8
    
    0
    
    22 February 2026 12: 41
    
    The constellation is also planned to operate in the interests of the Northern Sea Route. This includes polar orbits. This covers all of Russia. This also includes, as a side effect, Antarctica and the Arctic, with their still-operating polar stations. At least, no one has closed the stations in Antarctica. And to cover only the designated areas, as you mentioned, only geostationary satellites would be needed. Regular satellites in low orbits would have to be switched to cover this.
2. k7k8
  
  0
  
  22 February 2026 12: 37
  
  Quote: Valera75
  All 16, or let it be 30 at the time of launch, will not always be located simultaneously only over the territory of the Russian Federation.
  
  If we place them in the right orbits and above Starlink, something might work even with that many satellites. In any case, if the constellation's deployment begins as planned, things will be easier from here on out. As Comrade Napoleon Bonaparte said, the main thing is to get involved in the battle, and then we'll figure it out.
  1. svoroponov
    
    0
    
    27 February 2026 11: 45
    
    It's already begun. Our devices and communication systems are working just as well without Starlink. They're sufficient for work in Ukraine, and we'll expand them later. And there wasn't as much reliance on this device as portrayed online. As one person put it: No one made Starlink, the enemy's communications system, their primary one. There was an opportunity to use it, and they did (it's like a weapon – if you captured a working machine gun, why not use it). But that's only in parallel with ours. I won't explain why, it's clear.
    1. k7k8
      
      0
      
      27 February 2026 12: 35
      
      I already understand this. Now if only I could explain it to the local turbo-patriotic crowd.
      1. svoroponov
        
        -1
        
        27 February 2026 12: 53
        
        As we used to say during training: There are normal cadets. There are radio-controlled cadets. And there are unguided rocket-propelled torpedoes. You can decide for yourself which category to put here on the forum. Hint: unguided.
Olives

0

27 February 2026 14: 15

Fresh food