Russian Rassvet Satellite Constellation Outperforms Starlink via Laser Communication, Expert Says

MOSCOW, September 30. /TASS/. Thanks to its laser communication channel, the Russian low-Earth orbit satellite constellation Rassvet outperforms Starlink in terms of data transmission quality, retired Colonel Yury Knutov, a military expert and director of the Museum of the Air Defense Forces, told TASS.

"The [Rassvet] system differs from Starlink in that the communication channel between the satellites is laser-based – it provides broadband Internet, and the speed and quality of data transmission are higher than those of Starlink. Although Starlink will soon be implementing something similar as well," he said.

Knutov also noted that Rassvet can operate without special satellite terminals. According to him, in the future, mobile devices will be able to connect directly to the satellites.

The Rassvet low-Earth orbit satellite system was developed by the private Russian aerospace company Bureau 1440 (founded in December 2020 in Moscow, part of X Holding). It is designed for broadband data transmission to any location on the planet. Work is being carried out as part of the Data Economy and Digital Transformation of the State national project for the period from 2025 to 2030. In late March, the company successfully launched the first 16 satellites of the Rassvet low-Earth orbit constellation into orbit.

Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Bakanov previously stated that the Rassvet project is Russia’s answer to the American Starlink.