Rapid Advancement of Starlink Competitor Highlighted by Head of Russian Space Agency
Russia Developing Competitor to Starlink for High-Speed Satellite Internet
In a move to enhance its satellite communications capabilities, Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, is developing an alternative to SpaceX's Starlink. The project, known as Project Dawn, is scheduled to launch its first batch of satellites at the end of 2025, according to reports.
The motivation for Project Dawn is likely strategic, as it would strengthen Russia's military communications and drone operations. Dmitry Bakanov, head of Roscosmos, confirmed the partnership with Bureau 1440, the organisation responsible for developing this system.
Bureau 1440 has been working on the development of its satellites for three years, and several test vehicles have already been inspected, with production ones having been modified. The satellite system being developed by Roscosmos is intended for global broadband data delivery in low-Earth orbit.
Project Dawn is expected to allow Russia to control drones with greater accuracy, similar to how Starlink's network provides high-speed broadband internet to a variety of consumers, including businesses, governments, and in Ukraine's case, the government for military communications and drone operations.
Starlink, currently the world's leading provider of high-speed satellite internet, has more than 6 million active users. With thousands of Starlink satellites already in orbit and more launching every week, Project Dawn would need to scale at an unprecedented rate to catch up.
The development of Project Dawn may be seen as a response to Starlink's prominence and the resulting rivalry between world powers, including Russia. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Kyiv has received over 50,000 Starlink terminals.
Harvard University astronomer Jonathan McDowell tracks the Starlink megaconstellation on his website. He reported that as of August 1, there were 8,075 operational Starlink satellites in low-Earth orbit, making Starlink the world's largest satellite constellation.
In 2023, Roscosmos launched the Rassvet-1 satellites, which are part of Project Dawn. The planned start date for the first batch of satellites from Project Dawn is not explicitly stated in the search results; however, the Polaris Dawn mission, which is linked to SpaceX's Polaris Program and involves human spaceflight, is targeted to launch no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2022, but no specific satellite batch date is given for Project Dawn itself.
As the race for high-speed satellite internet continues, both Starlink and Project Dawn will undoubtedly shape the future of global communications.
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