The aggressor country plans to deploy the Rassvet orbital satellite network, which will serve as a Starlink analogue to provide military communications. To establish the baseline grouping, Russia must execute between 12 and 15 Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket launches.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine (Олена Бджола) citing Serhii Flesh Beskrestnov, according to the portal PromPolitInform.
Occupying forces are accelerating the deployment of the Rassvet orbital constellation, outpacing their own schedules. The emergence of such a network will create additional challenges for the Defence Forces of Ukraine by improving the enemy’s frontline communications.
A single Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle is capable of delivering 20 spacecraft into orbit. Launch sites in Plesetsk, as well as potentially Baikonur and Vostochny, are utilized to form the baseline network.
Heavy rocket potential and component manufacturing status
Theoretically, satellite deployment could be carried out using the Omsk-manufactured Angara-A5 heavy-lift rocket, which is capable of lifting 60 spacecraft at once. However, such a carrier flies extremely rarely, approximately once a year, and data on its availability and readiness is currently lacking.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Defence Forces launched a strike against the Progress Rocket and Space Centre in Samara, which manufactures components for Soyuz launch vehicles. The scale of the damage inflicted on the enterprise is currently being verified by specialized agencies.
Photo: RBC-Ukraine
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