Russia Launches First 16 Rassvet Satellites in $1.26 Billion Starlink Challenge

Russia has deployed 16 low-earth orbit satellites as the inaugural batch of Rassvet, a government-funded constellation project backed by 102.8 billion rubles. The launch marks the transition from prototype testing to operational service provision and positions Russia as a direct competitor to SpaceX's Starlink network. LEO constellations require hundreds to thousands of satellites for meaningful coverage; Starlink currently operates over 5,000.