Russia building its alternative to Starlink, space agency head says
Russia is developing a $5 billion alternative to the Starlink satellite internet service, according to a draft project seen by the Russian state-controlled news agency RBC and reported on Sept. 17.
"Several test satellites in orbit have already been inspected, and the serial models have been modified accordingly," Dmitry Bakanov, head of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, claimed in an interview with Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov on Sept. 17.
Backed by Roscosmos, the project aims to challenge U.S. billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX aerospace company, whose Starlink internet terminals have played a crucial role in securing Ukraine's communications during the war.
The Roscosmos chief has previously described the project, named Rassvet, as Russia’s response to Starlink.
The project will reportedly be carried out by a private space company called Bureau 1440. The company is tasked with launching 292 new satellites into orbit by 2030.
In total, the company is expected to launch 383 satellites, including 91 replacements for those that may fail.
Russia aims to increase the percentage of households with access to high-speed broadband internet to 97% by 2030 and 99% by 2036, RBC reported.
In June, Bakanov said that Russia plans to begin deploying its satellite internet service starting in December.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Kyiv has received over 50,000 Starlink terminals, with Poland providing nearly 30,000, the largest contribution by any single country.
Starlink has experienced two major outages in recent months.
Amid reported U.S. threats to block Starlink access in Ukraine earlier this winter, then-Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that Kyiv has alternatives for the Starlink internet system.
Germany was also financing Ukraine's access to a satellite internet network operated by French company Eutelsat, the company's CEO, Eva Berneke, said.
