The Russian Federation is accelerating the development of its own low-orbit satellite infrastructure with the aim of strengthening the command, control, and communication capabilities of its armed forces. During a meeting at the Kremlin with soldiers involved in the conflict in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin confirmed the progress of the Rassvet program, a satellite constellation developed by Bureau 1440 and considered by Moscow as a national alternative to the Starlink system. The project represents one of the foundations of the Russian strategy to reduce dependence on foreign technologies and ensure secure connections for military operations increasingly based on the use of unmanned systems.
What we know
During the meeting with the soldiers, Putin emphasized that Russia already has the necessary technologies to support the control of heavy drones via satellite links. According to the Russian president, the first satellites capable of performing such functions were put into orbit in 2023, while the program continues to expand with new launches carried out between 2024 and 2026.
The Kremlin chief indicated that the network developed by Bureau 1440 is designed to offer performance comparable to that of Starlink and, in some specific areas, could even surpass it. The strategic objective is to create a constellation capable of ensuring resilient, low-latency, and difficult-to-disrupt communications, characteristics considered essential for coordinating operations on the contemporary battlefield.
The statements came in response to requests from some soldiers who highlighted the increasing use, by Ukrainian forces, of logistics and attack drones controlled via Western satellite networks. For Moscow, the availability of an autonomous infrastructure therefore represents a crucial component of the ongoing technological competition.
From the experimental phase to the construction of the orbital network
The Rassvet program began its journey in 2023 with the launch of the first three satellites from the Vostochny spaceport as part of the Rassvet-1 mission. These devices were primarily intended for validating data transmission technologies, verifying the stability of communications, and analyzing the behavior of spacecraft in orbit.
A further step forward was taken in May 2024, when the Rassvet-2 mission placed another three next-generation satellites into orbit from the Plesetsk cosmodrome. Compared to the previous ones, these systems incorporated more advanced technologies, including inter-satellite laser links and equipment compatible with the 5G NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) standard, aimed at integrating terrestrial networks and space infrastructures.
On March 23, 2026, Bureau 1440 announced the launch of another 16 satellites, intended to form the initial core of the future operational network. Although the lift-off occurred with a few months' delay compared to the original schedule, the mission represents a decisive step towards the realization of the complete constellation.
Industrial objectives and military applications of the new network
The Russian federal project dedicated to Internet access infrastructure envisages a progressive growth of the constellation. Current plans indicate the deployment of 156 satellites by the end of 2026, expansion to 292 units in 2027, a threshold considered sufficient for the start of large-scale commercial services, and reaching 318 satellites in 2028. Long-term prospects also hypothesize a fleet exceeding 900 satellites by 2035.
From an operational point of view, the network should allow the Russian armed forces to have continuous, high-reliability satellite communications for controlling unmanned platforms, including transport drones capable of moving loads between 10 and 40 kilograms to forward areas of the front.
At the same time, Bureau 1440 is developing user terminals based on active electronically scanned array (AESA/APAR) antennas, technology that enables automatic pointing towards satellites and dynamic link management. In addition to military use, the company is working on versions dedicated to civil aviation and high-speed rail transport, with prototypes already tested to ensure stable connectivity on trains moving at up to 400 kilometers per hour.
For the Kremlin, Rassvet represents not only a telecommunications project but a true instrument of technological sovereignty intended to support Russia's strategic autonomy on the chessboard of geopolitical and military competition in orbital space.
