Russia has launched 16 low-orbit satellites as Moscow seeks to build a rival to Elon Musk’s Starlink broadband network.

Russia remains well behind Starlink, which since its first launch of operational satellites in 2019 has grown to more than 10,000 active satellites in orbit.

Bureau 1440, the Russian aerospace firm ⁠developing a low-Earth-orbit satellite system for global broadband data delivery, said it launched its first batch of 16 operational satellites.

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

These satellites aim to provide high-speed internet access across Russia, with full operational capacity set for 2027, explained Bureau 1440.

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.

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Categories: Articles, Broadband, Satellite

Tags: russia, satellite, starlink