Russia's Starlink Copycat Has Failed so Far but Still Threatens Ukraine
Only 12 of 32 Rassvet satellites reached sustainable altitudes, leaving Russia with brief connectivity windows and raising doubts about the program’s pace.
- On July 19, Bureau 1440 launched 16 Rassvet-3 satellites intended to reach operational altitude, but none achieved their planned orbit, according to the Institute for the Study of War. Data shows the satellites remain stuck between 190 miles and 250 miles.
- Russia developed Rassvet as a domestic alternative to Starlink after losing unauthorized access in February. However, satellites at lower altitudes face greater atmospheric drag, which significantly shortens their operational lifespans.
- Only 37.5% of launched Rassvet satellites have reached a sustainable operational altitude. SpaceX reported just 43 early mission failures among its first 1,383 production Starlink satellites, a failure rate of about 3%.
- Reliance on the costly Soyuz-2.1b rocket creates a major deployment bottleneck for Russia. While existing satellites provide only brief connectivity windows, experts warn they "may allow Russian forces to conduct more precise strikes against Ukraine using remotely controlled unmanned systems."
- Ukrainian strikes on the Plesetsk Cosmodrome threaten the scarce infrastructure required to expand the constellation. The Institute for the Study of War concluded "Russia may have been unprepared to accelerate constellation deployment at this pace and will likely face additional delays.
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Business Insider
BizTocAll 16 of Russia's latest satellites for its Starlink rival failed to reach their intended orbit
The 16 satellites form the second batch of the Rassvet-3 constellation, which now only has 12 out of 32 launched satellites set for long-term orbit.
Ukraine is doing everything it can to destroy a Russian satellite-based internet system that has great significance in the war.
Rivalul rusesc al Starlink, Rassvet, a suferit un nou eșec, după ce un întreg lot de sateliți nu a reușit să ajungă pe orbita operațională planificată inițial. Totuși, Rusia nu are nevoie de o constelație complet operațională pentru a continua să provoace pagube. Un sistem care funcționează doar parțial poate fi suficient, arată Institutul pentru …
Russia is trying to build its own version of the Starlink system to support communications and operations with drones and missiles in the war in Ukraine, but the program "Rassvet is facing major problems. None of the 16 satellites launched in July have reached the intended operational orbit, and experts warn that even partially operating the network could increase the accuracy of Russian attacks, Euroews says.
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