Another two satellites of Russia's Starlink analogue have begun falling to Earth

Of the 17 satellites launched in July during the second group launch, three failed to reach a stable orbit at an altitude of about 500 kilometers. Two of them are now falling. According to calculations, the Rassvet-30-17 satellite should enter dense layers of the atmosphere on October 31, and Rassvet-3-23 — within 78 hours after November 6.

Another satellite, which had been losing altitude since mid-August, resumed maneuvers to raise its orbit in September. Most of the remaining satellites stay at an altitude of about 500 kilometers.

During the first group launch in late March, "Bureau 1440", the company responsible for the project, placed 17 satellites into orbit. One of them failed to reach the designated orbit and fell in early June. Another 14 satellites began forming a satellite constellation at an altitude slightly over 500 kilometers.

However, none of the satellites from the first launch reached the planned altitude of 800 kilometers. This was the target altitude set by the company.

Operating at a lower orbit shortens the lifespan of satellites. This is due to the resistance of the upper atmospheric layers and a higher fuel consumption required to maintain the necessary altitude. Experts from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted that, because of this, Russian satellites will likely not be able to operate for as long as planned.

According to ISW data, satellites from the first launch currently provide Russian troops with communication to ground terminals in the occupied territory of Ukraine only twice a day, with each session lasting no more than an hour and a half.

In June 2025, the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Bakanov, stated that in its first phase, the "Rassvet" constellation would comprise 350 satellites, enabling 24/7 global coverage. In the future, the number of satellites was planned to increase to 900.

The project's cost is estimated at 430 billion Russian rubles (about 5.35 billion US dollars). Bakanov called it Russia's answer to the American Starlink system.

The start of "Rassvet"'s commercial operation was planned for 2027. In June, Vladimir Putin also stated that the system would be used, among other things, for controlling combat drones. According to him, it is not inferior to Starlink and possibly even surpasses it in some parameters.

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