One of the Rassvet-3 Satellites from Bureau 1440 (Russian Starlink) May Have Re-entered the Atmosphere

Between 2023 and 2024, the Russian company Bureau 1440 launched the first experimental satellites into orbit to build a large constellation dedicated to high-speed, low-latency Internet connectivity, for both military and civilian purposes, called Rassvet. The initial models Rassvet-1 and Rassvet-2 were designed to test the technologies that would later be employed in the operational models, known as Rassvet-3.

The first 16 Rassvet-3 satellites were launched on March 23 of this year with a Soyuz rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, placing them in an orbit of 324 x 288 km with an inclination of 82.3°. These units are much larger and more complex than the previous ones, reaching a mass of about 370 kg each (compared to the 120 kg of the second generation and the 80 kg of the first, both prototypes).

One of the Rassvet-3 satellites reportedly encountered a problem right from the start, failing to ignite its thrusters correctly and entering the Earth’s atmosphere yesterday (Italian time). A second satellite is said to be partially operational and could meet the same fate in a few months if its operational conditions do not improve.

Six satellites from Bureau 1440, however, successfully activated their thrusters and raised their altitude to between 420 km and 470 km in recent weeks, while another 8 Rassvet-3 satellites are maneuvering without significantly raising their altitude (at least for now), remaining around 320 km and 330 km.

Visualization of Rassvet-3 satellites' altitude

According to reports, in the future, the Rassvet-3 satellites are expected to operate at an altitude of 800 km. Reported performance should match 1 Gbps with a latency lower than 70 ms. To further improve data exchange, inter-satellite connectivity via laser is also planned, similar to what already happens with Starlink. Having a satellite constellation in LEO appears to be a priority for many states, especially considering what occurred during the war in Ukraine, when Starlink proved crucial for both civilian and military operations.

For this reason, Russia, in addition to its extensive spy satellite deployment, might encourage the launch and operation of a satellite constellation like that of Bureau 1440, while allowing Roscosmos to increase its launch activity and thus reduce losses. The success of these operations will depend on the Russian company's ability to launch a large number of Rassvet-3 satellites in a short time and to make them operational correctly. It’s a challenging endeavor.