Russia’s Security Council called for rapid expansion of mass production of Rassvet communications satellites and terminals, according to accounts published November 6. It also asked government agencies to prepare proposals for full deployment and sustained operations. The Council named Starlink and OneWeb as security concerns, reflecting its stated rationale for expanding a Russian system.
What the reported production push means
Rassvet is a Russian low-Earth-orbit satellite communications network. The Council’s call concerned production and plans for deployment; it did not itself describe a completed expansion. Reports about the constellation’s orbital build-out offer a snapshot of the work still underway.
GUR, Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate, attributed 32 launches to two Rassvet batches in March and July 2026. A November 1 account put 30 Rassvet-3 satellites in orbit at that time, with 26 at roughly 500 kilometers. The figures count different things: launches across two batches versus satellites reported in orbit on a later date.
A launch total tells you how many spacecraft were sent up, not how many were in orbit or providing coverage.
Dated reports describe losses and orbit-raising
The November 1 account said Rassvet satellite No. 4 deorbited on June 6, and Rassvet-3 No. 17 deorbited on October 30. It attributed the likely failure of No. 17 to a propulsion system that did not activate.
The same account said Rassvet satellite No. 23 was raised from 220 kilometers on October 20 and had reached about 300 kilometers by November 1, while still climbing. It described roughly 500 kilometers as an interim positioning altitude and 800 kilometers as the planned altitude for the constellation. Those figures describe different stages, and the November 1 altitude for No. 23 is a dated report.
An earlier Spanish-language segment from Negocios TV described a first Rassvet launch batch of 16 satellites. GUR’s later figure of 32 counted two batches launched in March and July.
What GUR says about coverage over Ukraine
GUR says Rassvet communications over Ukraine are intermittent when satellites pass over relevant areas, rather than providing uninterrupted coverage. GUR also alleges that Russia is using the network for military communications in Ukraine. The directorate said further launches were planned by the end of 2026.
