Russia is reportedly losing two more “Rassvet” low-orbit satellites, the country’s domestic answer to SpaceX’s Starlink service, as they failed to stay in orbit.The Moscow Times on Monday, citing cosmonaut researcher Anatoly Zak, said the satellites belonged to a batch launched on July 20, and both failed to complete their orbit-raising maneuver.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.As a result, they have now descended below 300 km (186 miles) and risk burning up in the atmosphere during reentry.The outlet added that three more failed to ascend and are hovering at around 310-330 km (193-205 miles), while an additional nine are “maneuvering” but remain 200 km (124 miles) below the altitude reached by the test batch at a similar stage of an earlier launch.One of the 16 satellites launched in March as the test batch was also confirmed lost in June.Russian troops lost access to Starlink, a satellite internet service that enables crucial frontline communications, after Ukraine worked with SpaceX to introduce a registration system in February.Rassvet is set to become Russia’s Starlink alternative, announced in 2025 and managed by Russian firm Bureau 1440. The company planned to launch 292 satellites by 2027, according to Ukrainian military intelligence earlier this year.By comparison, the US’s Starlink currently has over 7,800 active satellites in orbit, according to SpaceX.The CEO of Bureau 1440’s parent company, Iks Holding, also said the Rassvet is set to become commercially available by 2027.
Russia May Lose 2 More Starlink Alternative Satellites
Russia planned to launch close to 400 satellites by 2030 – versus Starlink’s over 7,800 already in orbit.








