17.01.2026, Moscow.
Serial production of the Zorkiy satellite will begin in 2026, head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos Dmitry Bakanov announced on January 17 on the Russia One channel.
“The Zorkiy satellite is on display here – it’s a device that takes images from space, and based on these images, digital maps are created, which unmanned vehicles then use to navigate… Serial production of this equipment will begin this year,” he said during his speech.
According to the head of Roscosmos, the country plans to launch 300 satellites into orbit by 2027 to create a constellation of satellites.
Earlier, Sergey Boyarsky, Chief Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, promised that Russia, in opposition to the US Starlink, will have its own low-orbit constellation of satellites providing broadband satellite communications, named Zorkiy.
In his speech, the head of Roscosmos announced that the state space program plans to launch 886 Zorkiy broadband internet satellites.
Sputniks, private Russian space technology company, plans to launch 99 Zorkiy M2 satellites to control unmanned vehicles by 2031. This was stated in articles for an exhibition held on the sidelines of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the development of autonomous vehicles on January 16.
Once implemented, the state program for the preferential use of satellites will make it possible to build the necessary infrastructure for establishing communications and controlling unmanned vehicles. The program plans to launch 99 Zorkiy M2 satellites by 2031, the text states. These satellites are used to compile and update topographic and thematic maps, plan cities, and monitor the country’s environmental situation.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
