It was scheduled for March 19, 2026, but, unexpectedly and without any announcement, a Soyuz-2 rocket lifted off at 17:24 UTC time on March 23, 2026, from the military Plesetsk Cosmodrome, placing 16 satellites of the Rassvet constellation—developed by the Russian private company Bjuro 1440—into orbit.
The launch marks a crucial milestone for the project: for the first time, the constellation enters its operational deployment phase, with the goal of creating a network of low-Earth-orbit satellites providing high-speed internet services, similar to the system developed by SpaceX.
After several years of announcements and experimental tests, the system is now beginning to take shape in space.
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The startup dreaming of a “Russian Starlink”
Over the past decade, the landscape of Russian space startups has seen a number of ambitious initiatives, many of which have faced significant financial and technological challenges. Limited international investment—further complicated by sanctions and the geopolitical situation that began in 2022—has made the development of advanced space infrastructure particularly difficult.Despite this context, Bjuro 1440 has managed to place experimental satellites into orbit and demonstrate the feasibility of an orbital communications system that aims both to compete with the federal Sfera program and to offer a lower-cost alternative to Western satellite internet networks.
Founded in 2020 and part of the industrial ecosystem of the Russian holding IKS, the company has set itself a very ambitious goal: to build a constellation of hundreds of satellites in low Earth orbit to provide high-speed internet access.
The original plan envisioned a network of about 900 satellites by 2035, although in recent months the company has suggested that the number could be reduced to around 737 spacecraft, while maintaining the planned coverage.
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The experimental missions: Rassvet-1 and Rassvet-2
Before reaching the operational launch of 2026, the company carried out several experimental missions.
On June 27, 2023, three Rassvet-1 satellites, each weighing about 80 kilograms, were launched to test communications systems and onboard technologies. A few months later, in October of the same year, Bjuro 1440 announced that it had performed Russia’s first internet call via low-Earth-orbit satellites.
Initial performance was still limited—about 12 Mb/s in downlink and 7 Mb/s in uplink—but sufficient to demonstrate the functionality of the network and the communication systems between satellites.
In May 2024, three additional experimental satellites of the Rassvet-2 mission were launched, allowing the company to test further key technologies for the future constellation, including inter-satellite communication systems and advanced networking technologies.
Once fully operational, the constellation is expected to enable significantly higher data rates, ranging from 50 Mb/s up to 1 Gb/s in downlink.
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The meaning behind the name “Bjuro 1440”
The company’s name is also a direct reference to the history of cosmonautics.
The main inspiration is naturally Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite in history, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957.
The references are several: the first experimental Rassvet satellites have a mass of about 80 kg, close to that of the original Sputnik; the number 1440 recalls the 1440 orbits completed by Sputnik-1 before reentering the atmosphere in January 1958; and finally the word “Bjuro” evokes the famous Soviet design bureaus, the OKB (Opytnoe konstruktorskoe bjuro), which created many of the Soviet Union’s major space programs.
It is a symbolic reference that underlines the intention to place the project within the long tradition of Russian space engineering.
The launch of the first 16 satellites
The mission of March 19, 2026 therefore represents a key milestone. The Soyuz-2 rocket, launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome, successfully deployed 16 new-generation Rassvet satellites, forming the first operational core of the constellation.
The project had already experienced several delays: the launch originally planned for late 2025 was postponed to 2026 due to difficulties in satellite production and assembly.
If deployment proceeds according to plan, the constellation is expected to grow rapidly over the next few years. Current plans foresee hundreds of satellites by the end of the decade, with around 250 operational spacecraft by the time commercial services begin.
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A technological and industrial challenge
The real challenge for Bjuro 1440 is not only technological but also industrial and logistical.
Building a constellation of hundreds of satellites requires a near-industrial production chain capable of manufacturing satellites quickly, a network of ground stations and user terminals and a high number of annual launches to deploy the constellation.
In a context marked by sanctions and limited access to advanced electronic components, mass production of satellites is likely to be the most difficult obstacle to overcome.
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A new race for satellite constellations
The Rassvet project is part of a new phase of global space competition.
In recent years, internet access through low-Earth-orbit satellite constellations has become one of the most dynamic sectors of the space industry. Alongside Starlink, several countries are developing similar systems, often considered strategic infrastructure for both civilian economies and military communications.
With the successful launch of March 19, 2026, Bjuro 1440 has taken its first real step toward creating a Russian satellite internet constellation.
A massive technological and industrial challenge that is likely to shape the evolution of the space sector for many years to come.
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