# Russia’s ‘Starlink alternative’ stumbles as two more Rassvet satellites start falling from orbit

*Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 10:06 AM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-10-13T10:06:41.049Z (3h ago)
**Category**: intelligence | **Region**: Eastern Europe
**Importance**: 7/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/20447.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: Two Russian Rassvet satellites launched in July are rapidly losing altitude after failing to climb to stable orbits, with one earlier companion already lost in June. The setbacks weaken Moscow’s push to build its own Starlink‑style constellation for military, commercial, and sanctions‑resilient communications.

Russia’s effort to field a homegrown satellite internet constellation has suffered another setback, with two recently launched Rassvet satellites now decaying toward Earth after apparently failing to raise their orbits.

Monitoring data show Rassvet satellites No. 17 and No. 23, part of a batch launched in July, have dropped to roughly 240–260 kilometers in altitude and are descending by up to about 1.6–1.7 kilometers per day. Without successful orbital correction burns from their onboard thrusters, both could reenter the atmosphere in a matter of weeks.

One satellite from an earlier Rassvet batch launched in March has already burned up, reentering in June. The repeated failures point to systemic problems in propulsion, power, or flight software at a time when Russia is counting on Rassvet to provide a domestic alternative to Western constellations like Starlink.

Rassvet is designed to be a large swarm of satellites providing broadband and secure communications for government users, the military, and commercial customers. For Moscow, building such a system is not only about connectivity; it is also about sanctions resilience, information control, and reducing dependence on Western‑owned infrastructure during conflict.

The technical difficulties now playing out in orbit threaten those ambitions. Satellites launched into low initial orbits often conduct a series of burns to climb to their operational altitude, where atmospheric drag is lower and orbital lifetimes are longer. When those maneuvers fail or are incomplete, drag quickly eats away at altitude, and the spacecraft are doomed to early reentry.

Engineers will be scrutinizing telemetry – if available – for clues: malfunctioning thrusters, insufficient fuel, battery or power issues that prevented burns, or miscalculations in flight dynamics. Repeated decay across satellites from different launch batches suggests the problem is not a one‑off hardware defect.

Strategically, the stumbles weaken Russia’s case that it can field a robust alternative to Western commercial constellations. On the battlefield in Ukraine and in other potential theaters, satellite internet has become a key enabler for secure communications, drone control, and real‑time targeting. Kyiv’s heavy use of Starlink terminals has highlighted how much leverage a foreign private system can exert over military operations.

Moscow has framed Rassvet as a way out of that dependence, promising a sovereign constellation that would serve Russian forces and allied clients without the political constraints that come with Western providers. Each failed satellite pushes that goal further into the future and raises overall program costs, since replacement launches must be funded in a tighter budget environment.

For Russia’s space sector, the Rassvet difficulties add to a list of troubles that includes failed Luna lunar missions, limited access to Western components under sanctions, and a shrinking commercial launch market. Engineering talent and funding are being asked to do more with less, just as the technical bar for building modern constellations has risen.

A satellite internet system does not need one perfect spacecraft; it needs a large number of reliable ones that can be replenished steadily and cheaply.

Key developments to watch will be any official acknowledgment from Russia’s space agency or defense ministry about the status of Rassvet No. 17 and No. 23, evidence that remaining satellites in the constellation are successfully raising their orbits, and signs that Moscow is rethinking timelines, designs, or budgets for its Starlink‑style ambitions in light of hardware that keeps falling out of the sky.