Bureau 1440 Launches Second Rassvet Batch Toward $5.2 Billion 2027 Service

Russia’s Bureau 1440 has launched a second production batch of Rassvet broadband satellites, advancing a network backed by approximately $5.2 billion in projected funding through 2030. The low-Earth-orbit system is scheduled to enter commercial service in 2027, with remote communities, mobile networks and transportation users among its intended customers.

The satellites launched July 19 and were brought under the control of the company’s mission-control center after separating from the launch vehicle, according to a July 20 account of the deployment. They must complete inspections and commissioning before moving to their target orbits. Bureau 1440 did not disclose how many spacecraft were in this batch.

The deployment follows 16 production satellites launched at the end of March. Earlier experimental missions in 2023 and 2024 tested satellite communications, ground equipment and links between spacecraft. That progression from experiments to repeated production launches is significant, but it does not yet make Rassvet a completed or commercially proven network.

A 2027 service date depends on constellation buildout

Bureau 1440 plans to place 292 satellites, including spares, in orbit by 2030. It has previously described a possible expansion to 924 satellites if traffic demand warrants the additional capacity. Those figures are targets, not the number currently deployed.

Constellation size matters because low-orbit broadband satellites move rapidly relative to the ground. Unlike a geostationary spacecraft that remains over one region, a low-orbit network needs numerous satellites passing coverage from one spacecraft to another. More satellites can also add capacity where many terminals are competing for service.

The program’s funding plan includes 103 billion rubles from Russia’s federal budget and roughly 329 billion rubles from Bureau 1440 resources, for a combined total of about $5.2 billion through 2030. Moscow also allocated approximately $45.6 million from a reserve fund in 2025 to develop the first 16 production satellites.

Rassvet is intended to reach regions where laying fiber is difficult or expensive, including Siberia, Russia’s Far East and the Arctic. Proposed users extend beyond individual households to mobile operators, industrial sites and transportation companies. That mix could allow the network to serve both isolated fixed locations and moving platforms, although each application requires compatible terminals and supporting ground infrastructure.

Laser links address geography, not the entire service challenge

The spacecraft use a 5G non-terrestrial-network architecture, inter-satellite laser terminals, plasma propulsion and updated power systems. Bureau 1440 has reported testing a 10-gigabit-per-second laser link between two satellites separated by more than 1,000 kilometers.

Laser links can route traffic across the constellation before sending it to Earth, potentially reducing reliance on a nearby ground gateway for every connection. Plasma propulsion provides efficient thrust for orbital positioning and long-duration mission control, but it does not remove the need for successful commissioning, network software, user terminals and adequate ground capacity.

Bureau 1440 is targeting user speeds of up to one gigabit per second and latency of up to 70 milliseconds. Those remain planned service figures rather than established commercial results. Performance in a shared satellite network can vary with user density, available capacity, terminal conditions and the route traffic takes through ground infrastructure.

That distinction is visible in mature low-orbit systems. Ookla’s 2025 global satellite-broadband analysis found substantial variation in Starlink speeds and latency among markets, illustrating how launch scale, customer demand and ground-network placement shape real-world service. Rassvet’s laboratory and orbital link tests establish technical progress, but broad customer testing is the more demanding measure.

Initial integrations focus on mobile and transport links

MegaFon and Bureau 1440 plan to connect 500 base stations with inadequate terrestrial service by 2027. In that role, satellites would provide backhaul between remote cellular sites and the wider network rather than requiring every mobile user to operate a dedicated satellite terminal.

Bureau 1440 and Russian Railways are also testing terminals intended for Sapsan and Lastochka trains. A collaboration with Aeroflot targets high-speed aircraft internet, but aviation service remains planned. Moving vehicles impose additional requirements for antenna tracking, handoffs between satellites and integration with onboard networks.

Rassvet therefore has production hardware in orbit and named integration projects on the ground, but its defining milestones remain ahead. The next test is whether Bureau 1440 can commission successive batches, complete customer trials and assemble enough orbital and terrestrial capacity to turn its 2027 date into sustained service.

By David Whitaker — Associate editor for AMI’s aerospace and drone systems desk, translating flight systems, aircraft programs, spaceflight, and UAV developments into accessible technical stories.