Russia's Starlink rival loses one of its first operational satellites, Russian media reports
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Russia's private aerospace company Bureau 1440 has lost one of the first satellites launched for its Rassvet ("Dawn") satellite internet network, Russian state-controlled newspaper Kommersant reported on June 9, citing satellite-tracking data.
Bureau 1440 is developing a low-Earth orbit satellite internet constellation designed to provide high-speed broadband communications across Russia. The project is considered Moscow's answer to Starlink.
The company confirmed the loss to Kommersant, saying that 15 of the 16 satellites launched during the constellation's first operational deployment in March remain in orbit.
According to the company, the constellation currently consists of six experimental satellites from the Rassvet-1 and Rassvet-2 missions, as well as 15 satellites from the first operational launch.
On March 24, Bureau 1440 announced that it had successfully placed the first 16 operational satellites of the Rassvet communications network into orbit, describing the launch as a transition from experimental testing to the creation of a commercial communications service.
According to company plans, the Rassvet constellation is expected to consist of 292 operational satellites by the end of 2030, with a total of 383 satellites scheduled for launch.
The project is being developed under Russia's national "Data Economy" program. Russian authorities plan to allocate 102 billion rubles ($1.3 billion) from the federal budget, while Bureau 1440 is expected to contribute an additional 329 billion rubles ($4.2 billion).
Starlink has become a key component of Ukraine's military communications infrastructure during the full-scale war. In February 2026, Ukraine announced that unauthorized Starlink terminals used by Russian forces had been deactivated following coordination with SpaceX, disrupting Russian battlefield communications and drone operations.
