In a report released on Friday, January 23, 2026, the Russian aerospace company Bureau 1440 announced the postponement of its initial deployment of 16 high-speed internet satellites. Originally scheduled for late 2025, the launch of the first batch for the “Rassvet” (Dawn) Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation has been rescheduled for 2026.
The delay is attributed to production failures and incomplete assembly of the required spacecraft, contradicting previous government statements regarding the readiness of the fleet.
Assembly Obstacles for the Rassvet Constellation
The Rassvet project aims to provide a domestic alternative to SpaceX’s Starlink, targeting global broadband coverage. While Roscosmos Chief Dmitry Bakanov stated in September 2025 that deployment of the first 300 satellites would begin by the end of that year, industry sources now indicate that the production line has failed to meet the necessary volume. Despite the delay, Deputy Minister of Digital Development Dmitry Ugnivenko had claimed as recently as December 2025 that all 16 initial satellites were complete. Bureau 1440 currently has only six experimental satellites in orbit, launched during the Rassvet-1 and Rassvet-2 missions to test laser inter-satellite links and 5G signal compatibility.
Funding and Strategic Infrastructure Goals
The project is a central pillar of Russia’s national “Data Economy” program, with the federal budget allocating 102.8 billion rubles ($1.36 billion) toward its implementation. Bureau 1440 is expected to contribute an additional 329 billion rubles ($4.36 billion) in private investment through 2030. Each satellite is designed to operate in LEO to provide high-speed, low-latency connectivity. The broader strategic goal remains the deployment of a 900-satellite constellation by 2035, with commercial operations involving the first 250 units projected to start in 2027.
Regional Competition and Revised Launch Targets
As Bureau 1440 navigates manufacturing hurdles, regional competition is accelerating. The Ukrainian technology firm STETMAN has entered the implementation phase for its UASAT LEO project. Unlike the delayed Rassvet batch, the first Ukrainian satellite has already secured a launch slot for October 2026, with plans to build a 245-satellite communications network. Bureau 1440’s revised roadmap now targets 156 launches in 2026, followed by 292 in 2027, though reaching these milestones will require a significant stabilization of the company’s satellite assembly process.
