Some are already in orbital decay, with two reportedly heading for reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere.
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Developed by a private aerospace outfit called Bureau 1440, the Russians aim to expand the Rassvet constellation to 900 satellites by 2035. There’s still a very long way to go to hit that target. In March we reported on the launch of the first 16 Rassvet satellites. In June we followed up with news that one of them, dubbed ‘Object 4,’ had dropped out of orbit already. The ISW now says that only 12 of the first batch actually reached their anticipated altitudes. Running at lower altitudes will mean reduced lifespans as the lower-altitude satellites require more fuel.
The second set of 16 Rassvet satellites was launched in mid-June. Reports indicate that none of the second batch have reached their anticipated altitudes, so things don’t look good for this project. The ISW reckons that Russia will need at least 200 to 300 fully operational Rassvet satellites to achieve stable connectivity over Ukraine 24/7. Rassvet as it stands offers two up-to-90-minute connectivity windows a day over Ukraine . Meanwhile, Ukraine’s strategists surely have Russian satellite production and launch facilities on targeting lists. It looks like Russia’s interim target of 250 operational Rassvet satellites sometime in 2027 will have to be revised.
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Russia’s new ‘Starlink‑Style’ Rassvet fleet loses its first satellite after weeks
SpaceX vaporizes 260 Starlink satellites in six months using Earth's atmosphere
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/space/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/space/russian-starlink-rival-flounders-after-entire-batch-of-satellites-fails-to-reach-operational-altitude-many-of-the-16-launched-hit-less-than-half-their-870km-target-and-two-are-already-falling-back-to-earth#main
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