Track Russia's Rassvet constellation

azmth currently tracks 31 Rassvet satellites in CelesTrak's active catalogue, as of 14 September 2026. Data from CelesTrak, refreshed every 2 hours.

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Rassvet, meaning dawn, is the low-Earth-orbit broadband constellation being built by the Russian company Bureau 1440. Its serial satellites are listed in tracking catalogues as RASSVET-3 followed by a number. azmth counts them live from CelesTrak data.

Also called Рассвет (Rassvet), Бюро 1440 (Byuro 1440), RASSVET-3, МегаФон 1440 (MegaFon 1440), Russian Starlink

As of 14 September 2026, Rassvet, the low Earth orbit broadband constellation of the Russian company Bureau 1440, is still being deployed: 32 serial satellites have been launched in two batches, and the company's announced target for commercial service is 2027.

TL;DR· 9 min read

Rassvet is a Russian satellite internet constellation built by Bureau 1440, a company in the IKS Holding group. Six experimental satellites were launched in 2023 and 2024, and 32 serial satellites followed from Plesetsk on 23 March and 19 July 2026. On 14 September 2026, CelesTrak data put 13 first-batch satellites at about 510 km, with the second batch still between 268 and 442 km and one satellite already re-entered. Bureau 1440 gives 2027 as its target for commercial service, and its website still advertises an 800 km orbit.

31
in CelesTrak's active catalogue now
as of 14 September 2026
13 of 32
serial satellites at the altitude where the first batch settled, about 510 km
as of 14 September 2026 · source
292
active satellites in the Russian government's plan, with 383 launched in total by 2030 (announced target)
as of March 2025 · source

What Rassvet is

Rassvet (Рассвет, Russian for dawn) is a low Earth orbit broadband constellation developed by Bureau 1440 (Бюро 1440), a Russian company that is part of IKS Holding. According to the company, its serial satellites carry a 5G non-terrestrial network (5G NTN) payload, laser terminals for links between satellites and plasma thrusters. Bureau 1440 launched three experimental satellites in 2023 and three more in 2024, then launched its first 32 serial satellites, catalogued as RASSVET-3, in two batches in 2026.

According to Kommersant, the project began inside the mobile operator MegaFon under the name MegaFon 1440 and passed to IKS Holding in 2022, when it was renamed Bureau 1440. The first experimental mission, Rassvet-1, put three satellites into orbit on 27 June 2023 as a rideshare on the Soyuz-2.1b rocket that carried the Meteor-M No. 2-3 weather satellite from Vostochny. Rassvet-2 followed from Plesetsk on the night of 16 to 17 May 2024, sharing its rocket with Kosmos 2576, and on 25 July 2024 the company said it had set up a laser link between two satellites 1,005 km apart. Jonathan McDowell's GCAT catalogue gives the Rassvet-1 satellites a mass of about 80 kg each and the Rassvet-2 satellites about 120 kg.

The serial launches started later than planned. Roscosmos head Dmitry Bakanov said in June 2025 that the first 16 serial satellites would launch in December 2025, and in January 2026 Kommersant reported that the launch had slipped to 2026. The first batch of 16 lifted off from Plesetsk on a Soyuz-2.1b at 17:24 UTC on 23 March 2026, and a second batch of 16 followed from the same site on 19 July 2026. The rocket leaves the satellites at about 300 km, and they climb on their own plasma thrusters. By 14 September 2026, CelesTrak showed 13 first-batch satellites settled at 508 to 513 km with an inclination of 82.3 degrees, RASSVET-3 11 and 14 still at about 350 to 370 km, and RASSVET-3 4 re-entered on 6 June 2026.

Assessments of how many satellites are working differ. Bureau 1440 told Kommersant on 9 June 2026, three days after RASSVET-3 4 re-entered, that its six experimental satellites and the 15 remaining first-batch satellites were in low Earth orbit, and that the 15 were working normally. Jonathan McDowell's GCAT catalogue, updated on 10 September 2026, counts 13 serial satellites as active in their operational orbit, classifies RASSVET-3 4, 11 and 14 as failed early, and marks the three Rassvet-1 satellites as failed and unable to manoeuvre; it had not yet added the second-batch satellites. For the second batch, Business Insider reported on 2 September 2026, from US Space Force data, that none had reached its intended orbit, while the Ukrainian defence outlet Militarnyi argued on 13 September 2026 that the batch had been higher at day 46 than the first batch was at the same age, and that a firm verdict needs 100 to 125 days. CelesTrak orbital elements from 7 to 13 September 2026 show 13 of the 16 still climbing and RASSVET-3 17, 23 and 26 losing height.

The size and schedule of the finished constellation are plans. Bureau 1440 said in March 2025 that it was building more than 250 satellites for global coverage, and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Grigorenko's office gave the government target as 292 active satellites, with 383 to be launched in total by 2030 to allow for gradual replacement, although Kommersant wrote on 9 June 2026 of 292 satellites by 2030 including spares. The work sits in the Internet Access Infrastructure federal project within the Data Economy national project, and Kommersant reported planned funding to 2030 of 102.8 billion roubles from the federal budget and 329 billion roubles of the company's own money. ComNews calculated on 4 August 2026 that the federal project's end-2026 target of 156 satellites in orbit would need seven more launches that year, and no third batch had appeared in CelesTrak's catalogue by 14 September 2026. The company's website still gives an orbital altitude of 800 km; ComNews suggested on 21 July 2026 that the working orbit had been lowered to about 514 km, a question the company did not answer.

Bureau 1440 is not named on the US OFAC, EU or UK sanctions lists checked on 14 September 2026. Its parent company, IKS Holding, has been on the OFAC Specially Designated Nationals list since 24 February 2023. According to Ukraine's Defence Intelligence, as reported by Janes on 7 September 2026, Russian forces used the first group of Rassvet satellites over Ukraine for several hours by late July 2026; that account comes from a single Ukrainian intelligence source.

How to find them on the globe

CelesTrak names the serial satellites RASSVET-3 1 to RASSVET-3 32, with a space before a number that runs on across launches (Nos. 1 to 16 are 2026-061A to R, and Nos. 17 to 32 are 2026-165A to R). The six experimental satellites carry no Rassvet name: CelesTrak lists them as OBJECT E, P and T (2023-091) and OBJECT G, H and J (2024-092), and on the globe they appear under bare designations such as 2023-091E. McDowell's GCAT identifies them as Rassvet-1 Nos. 1 to 3 and Rassvet-2 Nos. 1 to 3, and marks the Rassvet-1 identifications as uncertain. Bureau 1440's own launch posts do not use the name Rassvet-3; they speak of its first and second batch launches.

Coverage and service

As of 14 September 2026, Rassvet was still being deployed and tested. Bureau 1440 has given 2027 as its target for the start of commercial broadband service, and after losing RASSVET-3 4 it told Kommersant on 9 June 2026 that the service date was unchanged. RIA Novosti reported in July 2026 that the first tests with customers would take place in 2026. Roscosmos deputy director general Boris Glazkov gave a wider window of 2027 to 2028 for corporate customers, as reported by Kommersant. The customer arrangements announced by then were agreements with companies for future service: a MegaFon contract for backhaul to 500 base stations from 2027, an agreement with Russian Railways to fit satellite internet to 135 Lastochka and Sapsan trains, a plan with the mobile operator Beeline to begin testing in autumn 2026, and an agreement of intent with the Belarusian satellite operator Belintersat. Terminal prices and tariffs had not been published. The company's website advertises speeds of up to 1 Gbit/s and latency under 70 ms; these are its own performance targets.

What we know

Operator
Bureau 1440 (ООО «Бюро 1440»), part of IKS Holding as of June 2026 · expert.ru
Launched
38: six experimental (three Rassvet-1 in 2023, three Rassvet-2 in 2024) and 32 serial RASSVET-3 in two batches of 16 as of 14 September 2026 · space.skyrocket.de
In orbit
37 of the 38 launched; RASSVET-3 4 re-entered on 6 June 2026 as of 14 September 2026 · celestrak.org
Where the first batch settled
13 of the 16 first-batch satellites, at 508 to 513 km and an inclination of 82.3 degrees as of 14 September 2026 · celestrak.org
Independent status assessment
McDowell's GCAT counts 13 serial satellites active in operational orbit and classifies RASSVET-3 4, 11 and 14 as failed early; it had not yet listed the second batch as of 10 September 2026 · planet4589.org
Orbit advertised by the operator
800 km, on Bureau 1440's website as of 14 September 2026 · 1440.space
Launch vehicle and site
Soyuz-2.1b from Plesetsk for both serial batches; sources disagree on whether a Fregat upper stage flew as of 14 September 2026 · planet4589.org
Serial satellite design
Company platform with a 5G NTN communications payload, new-generation laser terminals for links between satellites and plasma propulsion as of July 2026 · ria.ru
Serial satellite mass
About 370 kg as of 14 September 2026 · space.skyrocket.de
Planned size
More than 250 satellites (company); 292 active, with 383 launched in total by 2030 (government plan) as of March 2025 · comnews.ru
Announced service start
2027 for commercial service (company target) as of March 2025 · comnews.ru
Planned funding to 2030
102.8 billion roubles from the federal budget and 329 billion roubles of company funds (planned allocations) as of March 2026 · kommersant.ru
Sanctions
Bureau 1440 is not named on the OFAC, EU or UK lists checked; its parent, IKS Holding, is on the OFAC SDN list as of 14 September 2026 · ofac.treasury.gov

Timeline

  1. 2022

    After the sale of IKS Holding closes in June 2022, the MegaFon 1440 project passes to IKS Holding in an asset split and is renamed Bureau 1440, according to Kommersant. kommersant.ru

  2. 27 June 2023

    Rassvet-1: Bureau 1440's first three experimental satellites are launched from Vostochny. t.me

  3. 16 May 2024

    Rassvet-2: three more experimental satellites are launched from Plesetsk at 21:21 UTC (00:21 Moscow time on 17 May) on a Soyuz-2.1b with a Fregat upper stage, alongside Kosmos 2576. planet4589.org

  4. 25 July 2024

    Bureau 1440 says it has closed a laser link between two satellites 1,005 km apart and flight-qualified its own laser terminals. t.me

  5. March 2025

    Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Grigorenko's office gives the government plan as 292 active satellites, with 383 launched in total by 2030. comnews.ru

  6. 23 January 2026

    Kommersant reports that the launch of the first 16 serial satellites has slipped from 2025 to 2026. ru.themoscowtimes.com

  7. 23 March 2026

    First batch launch: 16 serial satellites, later catalogued as RASSVET-3 1 to 16, lift off at 20:24 Moscow time (17:24 UTC). t.me

  8. 6 June 2026

    RASSVET-3 4 re-enters the atmosphere. celestrak.org

  9. 9 June 2026

    Bureau 1440 tells Kommersant that six experimental and 15 first-batch satellites are in orbit, that the 15 are working normally, and that the commercial service date is unchanged. kommersant.ru

  10. 19 July 2026

    Second batch launch: 16 serial satellites, catalogued as RASSVET-3 17 to 32, lift off from Plesetsk. celestrak.org

  11. 21 July 2026

    ComNews reports 12 first-batch satellites at 502 to 523 km, well below the 800 km on the company's website, and suggests the working orbit was lowered to about 514 km. The company does not answer. comnews.ru

  12. 4 August 2026

    ComNews calculates that the federal project's end-2026 target of 156 satellites in orbit would need 125 more and seven launches. comnews.ru

  13. 2 September 2026

    Business Insider reports, from US Space Force data, that none of the second batch has reached its intended orbit. yahoo.com

  14. 13 September 2026

    Militarnyi argues that the second batch was written off too early and that a firm verdict needs 100 to 125 days after launch. militarnyi.com

Commonly got wrong

  • (1) The 800 km altitude on Bureau 1440's website, which Business Insider repeated on 2 September 2026 as roughly 500 miles for the second batch, is not where the serial satellites fly. CelesTrak data for 14 September 2026 put the 13 settled first-batch satellites at 508 to 513 km, and the only Bureau 1440 satellites near 800 km are the three Rassvet-2 prototypes. ComNews suggested on 21 July 2026 that the working orbit had been lowered, and the company did not answer. Business Insider's own figure of about 340 miles (about 547 km) for the first batch is also higher than the tracking data show.
  • (2) Business Insider's headline of 2 September 2026 said all 16 of the second batch had failed to reach their intended orbit. Militarnyi called that verdict premature on 13 September 2026, and CelesTrak orbital elements from 7 to 13 September 2026 show 13 of the 16 still climbing, with RASSVET-3 17, 23 and 26 losing height. The Russian site vc.ru reported that Bureau 1440 declined to comment, while Business Insider itself wrote that the press services did not immediately respond.
  • (3) Rassvet counts vary with the names a tracker searches for. CelesTrak lists the serial satellites as RASSVET-3 with a space before the number, and the six experimental satellites under OBJECT names, so azmth's live figure of 31 covers only names beginning RASSVET. SatelliteMap showed 37 active on 14 September 2026 without saying which objects it counts, and an AI search summary repeated it as 37 active Rassvet satellites. 37 matches the serial and experimental satellites in orbit together, and being in orbit is not the same as working. CelesTrak's TLE-format downloads also omit RASSVET-3 17 to 32, whose catalogue numbers have six digits, and a loose search for 1440 catches unrelated objects such as STARLINK-11440. In Google autocomplete on 14 September 2026, the bare word Rassvet was dominated by an unrelated fashion brand.
  • (4) Sources disagree on the rocket configuration for the serial launches. ComNews wrote on 21 July 2026 that the 23 March 2026 launch used a Fregat-M upper stage, while McDowell's GCAT launch log lists a plain Soyuz-2.1b and CelesTrak catalogues only a Soyuz third stage from that flight. For the 19 July 2026 launch, CelesTrak catalogues a Fregat upper stage (2026-165S), while GCAT and Gunter's Space Page list a plain Soyuz-2.1b.

Sources

  1. Bureau 1440, official Telegram channel (in Russian)
  2. Bureau 1440, official website (in Russian)
  3. CelesTrak SATCAT, records matching RASSVET
  4. CelesTrak orbital elements (GP), RASSVET, JSON
  5. CelesTrak SATCAT, launch 2026-165
  6. Jonathan McDowell, GCAT satellite catalogue (updated 10 September 2026)
  7. Jonathan McDowell, GCAT launch log (updated 10 September 2026)
  8. Gunter's Space Page, Rassvet-3
  9. Kommersant, 9 June 2026 (in Russian)
  10. Kommersant, 24 March 2026 (in Russian)
  11. Kommersant, 8 February 2023 (in Russian)
  12. RIA Novosti, 20 July 2026 (in Russian)
  13. RIA Novosti, 18 February 2026 (in Russian)
  14. ComNews, 6 March 2025 (in Russian)
  15. ComNews, 21 July 2026 (in Russian)
  16. ComNews, 4 August 2026 (in Russian)
  17. ProKosmos, 9 July 2025 (in Russian)
  18. The Moscow Times Russian service, 23 January 2026 (in Russian)
  19. vc.ru, 3 September 2026 (in Russian)
  20. US Treasury OFAC, recent actions, 24 February 2023
  21. Business Insider via Yahoo News, 2 September 2026
  22. Militarnyi, 13 September 2026
  23. Janes, 7 September 2026

Checked on 14 September 2026. Sources in Russian were read in their own language and translated for this page; where official statements and independent tracking disagree, both are given. The live count above comes from the catalogue, not from this research.

Frequently asked

Is Rassvet Russia's version of Starlink?

Rassvet is a Russian low Earth orbit broadband constellation whose satellites carry laser terminals for links between them, and Russian and foreign press often present it as the country's answer to Starlink. Bureau 1440 had launched 38 satellites by 14 September 2026, six of them experimental, against a company plan of more than 250 and a government target of 292 active satellites. For scale, CelesTrak listed more than 11,000 Starlink satellites in orbit in mid-September 2026. Commercial service is an announced target for 2027.

How many Rassvet satellites have failed?

One serial satellite, RASSVET-3 4, re-entered the atmosphere on 6 June 2026. Jonathan McDowell's GCAT catalogue (10 September 2026) classifies it and RASSVET-3 11 and 14 as failed early, and the three Rassvet-1 prototypes as failed and unable to manoeuvre, while Bureau 1440 told Kommersant on 9 June 2026 that its 15 remaining first-batch satellites were working normally. In the second batch, RASSVET-3 17, 23 and 26 were losing height in mid-September 2026, and GCAT had not yet assessed that batch. Militarnyi says a firm judgement needs 100 to 125 days after its launch on 19 July 2026, which means late October to late November 2026.

When will Rassvet satellite internet be available?

Bureau 1440 has given 2027 as its target for commercial broadband service, with first tests with customers planned for 2026, and it said on 9 June 2026 that the date was unchanged. Roscosmos deputy director general Boris Glazkov gave 2027 to 2028 for corporate customers, as reported by Kommersant. Both dates are targets. On 14 September 2026, 13 serial satellites were at the altitude where the first batch settled and no third launch had been announced, while ComNews had calculated that the federal project's target of 156 satellites in orbit by the end of 2026 would need seven more launches that year. The customer deals announced by then were with companies such as MegaFon and Russian Railways, and no terminal prices or tariffs had been published.

Why do Rassvet satellite counts differ between trackers?

azmth's live count, 31, is the number of objects in CelesTrak's active catalogue whose names begin with RASSVET, which on 14 September 2026 meant only the RASSVET-3 serial satellites. The six experimental Rassvet-1 and Rassvet-2 satellites carry no Rassvet name in the catalogue, so name-based counts leave them out; together with the serial satellites they made 37 Bureau 1440 satellites in orbit on 14 September 2026. Being in orbit is a separate question from working, and the operator and independent analysts give different answers on that.

Who owns Bureau 1440, and is it under sanctions?

Bureau 1440 is part of IKS Holding, a Russian technology group. Kommersant reported in February 2023 that the project began at MegaFon and moved to IKS Holding in 2022, and that the list of Bureau 1440's owners in the SPARK-Interfax company database was hidden. Kommersant also reported planned funding to 2030 of 102.8 billion roubles from the federal budget and 329 billion roubles of the company's own money. Bureau 1440 is not named on the US OFAC, EU or UK sanctions lists checked on 14 September 2026. Its parent, IKS Holding, is on the OFAC Specially Designated Nationals list.

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