Russia’s Starlink rival has a weakness; single factory near Ukraine’s border is targeted by drones

Name: Russia’s Starlink rival has a weakness; single factory near Ukraine’s border is targeted by drones
Uploaded: 2026-10-23T05:25:52.293Z
Duration: 3 min 51 s
Channel: Kanal13

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Russia’s answer to Starlink—Rassvet—is already struggling to get off the ground. Satellites have been lost, others have failed to reach their intended orbits, and Moscow is falling behind its ambitious deployment schedule. But the problems facing Russia’s Rassvet network may run deeper than malfunctioning spacecraft.

The system’s developer, Russia’s Bureau 1440, promises to begin commercial operations as early as 2027. According to the government’s plan, 156 satellites were supposed to be in orbit by the end of 2026, with that number rising to 292 a year later.

To deploy its satellite constellation, Russia must regularly launch new spacecraft into orbit. So far, that process has encountered problems. Following Rassvet’s first production launch in March 2026, one of the 16 satellites was lost, while two others struggled for an extended period to reach their operational altitude.

Most satellites in the second batch, launched in July, continued climbing toward their intended altitude, but several also showed signs of trouble. Of the 32 production satellites launched so far, none has reached its designated orbit. To meet the government’s target, Russia would need to conduct another seven launches and deploy 125 additional satellites by the end of the year—a prospect that currently appears unlikely. A critical vulnerability in the program emerges at the very stage of launching satellites into space. Russia used Soyuz-2.1b rockets for Rassvet’s first two production batches. Tracing the rocket’s supply chain leads, among other places, to Voronezh, where the Chemical Automatics Design Bureau manufactures the RD-0124 engine for its third stage. Each launch requires one such engine. Rassvet is far from the only customer that depends on KBKhA’s expertise. Several Russian rocket programs rely on engines from the same family.

The RD-0124 powers the Soyuz-2.1b. Its RD-0124A variant is used in Angara-family rockets. The RD-0124MS was developed for the second stage of the upcoming Soyuz-5 rocket, and its final development tests were completed in late 2025. KBKhA also continues producing the RD-0110 for the Soyuz-2.1a.

In August 2026, the RBC-Ukraine outlet, citing research by the Center for Defense Reforms, detailed another vulnerability in the Rassvet project: its dependence on imported electronics, Chinese supply channels, and Western measuring equipment. The project’s manufacturing and supply network encompasses more than 1,300 companies, according to the researchers. Russia may invest hundreds of billions of rubles in Rassvet’s satellites, terminals, and ground infrastructure. But the pace of deployment will depend on more than the number of spacecraft Bureau 1440 can manufacture. Every new batch must still be physically launched into orbit.

And as long as Russia relies on the Soyuz-2.1b for those launches, one of Rassvet’s critical supply chains will run through Voronezh—specifically, through RD-0124 engine production. This is where a massive satellite program narrows down to one of the least visible yet most critical components of its supply chain.

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Russia's answer to Starlink, Rassvet, is already struggling to get off the ground. Satellites have been lost, others have failed to reach their intended orbits, and Moscow is falling behind its ambitious deployment schedule. But the problems facing Russia's Rassvet network may run deeper than malfunctioning spacecraft. The system's developer, Russia's Bureau 1440, promises to begin commercial operations as early as 2027. According to the government's plan, 156 satellites were supposed to be in orbit by the end of 2026, with that number rising to 292 a year later. To deploy its satellite constellation, Russia must regularly launch new spacecraft into orbit. So far, that process has encountered problems. Following Rassvet's first production launch in March 2026, one of the 16 satellites was lost, while two others struggled for an extended period to reach their operational altitude. Most satellites in the second batch, launched in July, continued climbing toward their intended altitude, but several also showed signs of trouble. Of the 32 production satellites launched so far, none has reached its designated orbit. To meet the government's target, Russia would need to conduct another seven launches and deploy 125 additional satellites by the end of the year, a prospect that currently appears unlikely. A critical vulnerability in the program emerges at the very stage of launching satellites into space. Russia used Soyuz 2.1B rockets for Rassvet's first two production batches. Tracing the rocket's supply chain leads, among other places, to Voronezh, where the Chemical Automatics Design Bureau manufactures the RD-0124 engine for its third stage. Each launch requires one such engine. Rassvet is far from the only customer that depends on cause expertise. Several Russian rocket programs rely on engines from the same family. The RD-0124 powers the Soyuz 2.1b. Its RD-0124A variant is used in Angara family rockets. The RD-0124MS was developed for the second stage of the upcoming Soyuz 5 rocket, and its final development tests were completed in late 2025. KBKHA also continues producing the RD-0110 for the Soyuz 2.1a. In August 2026, the RBC Ukraine outlet, citing research by the Center for Defense Reforms, detailed another vulnerability in the Rassvet project, its dependence on imported electronics, Chinese supply channels, and Western measuring equipment. The project's manufacturing and supply network encompasses more than 1,300 companies, according to the researchers. Russia may invest hundreds of billions of rubles in Rassvet's satellites, terminals, and ground infrastructure. But the pace of deployment will depend on more than the number of spacecraft Bureau 1440 can manufacture. Every new batch must still be physically launched into orbit. And as long as Russia relies on the Soyuz 2.1b for those launches, one of Rassvet's critical supply chains will run through Voronezh, specifically, through RD-0124 engine production. This is where a massive satellite program narrows down to one of the least visible yet most critical components of its supply chain.