24.03.2026, Moscow.
The first operational 16 Rassvet broadband Internet satellites, created by the company BURO 1440, were launched into orbit and put into operation, the company’s press service reported on March 24.
“On March 23 at 8:24 (p.m.), the first 16 spacecraft by BURO 1440 were launched,” the statement reads.
The deployment was successful. The satellites were delivered to a reference orbit, separated from the launch vehicle, and were taken under control by BURO 1440’s mission control center. Specialists will now check onboard systems and then transfer the spacecraft to their target orbit.
“The launch of the first spacecraft of the target constellation marks the transition from experiments to the creation of a communications service. The BURO 1440 team has covered this path in 1,000 days, that is exactly the time between the launch of experimental and serial satellites,” the publication noted.
According to the company, the “Rassvet” satellites will form the basis of a low-Earth orbit broadband data transmission system capable of covering any point on Earth.
The target orbital altitude is 800 km. The satellites operate as 5G base stations, are interconnected via laser communication channels, and can transmit data at speeds of up to 1 Gbit/s. User terminals on the ground will be required to receive the data.
On June 27, 2023, three Rassvet-1 communication satellites were launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome and placed into a working polar orbit. Three Rassvet-2 satellites were launched during the night of May 16–17, 2024.
These earlier units were used to test the technology, conduct trial operations, and train operators.
The project to create this satellite constellation is funded under the national project Data Economy.
According to the list of instructions issued by the President of the Russian Federation on March 30, 2024 (No. Pr-616), almost $1.5 billion have been allocated from the budget for the creation of a satellite constellation to develop high-speed internet access between 2025 and 2030.
The company has independently attracted an additional approximately $3.7 billion.
On June 19, 2025, Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Bakanov announced at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum the launch of 16 Rassvet satellites by the end of that year. However, the launch was postponed.
In total, at least 900 Rassvet satellites are planned to be created and launched into orbit by 2035.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
