Russia's Rassvet Constellation Stalls Below Its Target Orbit
September 2, 2026
Russia's Rassvet satellite network, billed as a domestic answer to SpaceX's Starlink, is struggling to reach operational altitude after its first two launch batches. None of the 32 satellites deployed so far have reached the 500 mile orbit they were designed to operate in, and at least three appear to have failed outright. Rassvet began launching operational satellites earlier this year, with one flight in March and a second in July delivering 32 spacecraft to low-Earth orbit. That total repres