Russia launches first batch of 16 Rassvet satellites as Starlink rival

ISTANBUL

The Bureau 1440, a Russian private aerospace company, announced on Tuesday the launch of its first 16 Rassvet low-orbit satellites, which are perceived to be a response to the US' Starlink.

The spacecraft successfully placed satellites into a reference orbit on Monday and will continue to their target orbit after completing checkout and launching their onboard systems, the Bureau 1440 said in a statement published on Telegram.

"The launch of the first satellites in the target constellation marks the transition from experiments to the creation of a communications service,” the statement said, adding that the team completed the journey in 1,000 days.

The next stage is the deployment of “dozens of launches and hundreds of satellites” in Russia's low-orbit constellation for global communications service, it added.

Rassvet satellites are intended to provide internet access anywhere on Earth, the company said on its official website. There are currently six Bureau 1440 satellites in orbit, launched as part of two experimental missions.

According to the company's plans, the commercial service is scheduled to launch in 2027, by which time it plans to have more than 250 satellites in orbit. By 2035, the constellation could reach 900 satellites, state Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported.

"We will respond to Starlink with the Rassvet project [from] Bureau 1440. We will also have low-orbit broadband communications," said Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Bakanov in May of last year.