Russia has embarked on building a high-bandwidth (broadband), low-latency (instant response) communication network like Starlink to plug the yawning gaps in its battlefield communication capability as compared to Ukraine.
Ukraine’s use of the US Starlink network, a robust satellite based internet communication layer that is omnipresent and resilient to EW, is one of the factors that have enabled the nation to hold out against Russian forces.
The low latency of the layer, achieved by networking thousands of small satellites in low Earth orbit, facilitates real-time control of drones up to hundreds of kilometers away. The large number of satellites in the network allows Starlink to be accessed from any point on the globe as well as provide redundancy against satellite failures.
Using Starlink, Ukrainian forces can strike targets hundreds of miles deep in Russian territory routinely. Because of its vast geography, Russia has gaps in low-level radar coverage that Ukraine exploits using surveillance data and electronic intelligence provided by NATO spaceborne assets.
Russia’s Network
Russia’s Bureau 1140, a private aerospace company, aims to develop a rival network that it claims will be technically more advanced than Starlink.
The use of advanced technology will enable Bureau 1140 to build a rival network that is more resilient and less expensive to operate.
The Starlink network uses laser beams for inter-satellite communication. However, ground-based Starlink Gateways communicate with orbiting satellites using radio frequency (RF) radiation.
Russia’s system reportedly uses laser beams both for inter-satellite communication as well as gateway communication, providing faster & higher quality data transmission, as well as improved resistance to interference.
The effective intersatellite communication range of the Russian network will be up to 5,000 km. As a result, the network will comprise just 2,600 satellites. In contrast, the Starlink network currently has around 8,000 operational satellites. The Phase 1 target for the network is 12,000 satellites. Starlink eventually plans to increase the size of the network to 42,000 satellites.
Russian analysts claim that the Russian system will not only be less expensive to deploy, but its operating costs will be lower.
Low Earth orbit satellites need to be periodically replaced as their orbit decays because of a small but persistent amount of drag from a very small quantity of atmospheric air at low orbital heights. The more satellites in the network, the more frequently they need to be replaced.
Finally, a smaller number of satellites means less crowding of low Earth orbit, keeping the threat of collisions in check.
Technical Superiority
A Russian analyst told Sputnik Globe that the Russian network will suffer less Doppler effect interference and distortion.
“We’ve been able to completely compensate” for the Doppler signal frequency issue, occurring from the high speeds (27,000 km/h) at which satellites orbit Earth, “allowing the signal to be maintained virtually free of interference & distortion,” says the analyst
Doubts Over Russian Capability
While Russia is very experienced and advanced in the use of space technology, its presence and access to orbital space have been subdued for decades because of limited resources.
Based on the number of operational Russian satellites in space and the nation’s launch rate, Western critics doubt Russia’s ability to manage a 2,600-satellite network. Over the past three years, Russia has typically launched over 80 satellites and conducted 20 launches every year.
Natan Eismont, a leading researcher with the Russian Academy of Scientists’ Space Research Institute, told Sputnik in July 2024 that Russia definitely has the technical potential to create and manage a 2,600-satellite network.
“This is quite achievable,” Eismont said. “Let’s compare the figure of 2,600 satellites to the capabilities [Elon] Musk has demonstrated…He has managed to increase production [of SpaceX’s Starlink ] from a modest scale to what we are seeing now, promising 10,000-12,000 satellites.
Progress
Russia plans to deploy the 2,600 satellites by the mid-2030s. Based on the current state of development, would that be possible?
In 2020, Bureau 1440, which was earlier known as MegaFon 1440, announced plans to invest the equivalent of $76 million in the development of a satellite data transmission system.
The company reportedly launched its first three satellites into orbit in 2023,
In June 2024, Bureau 1440 announced on its Telegram channel that it had successfully carried out inter-satellite laser communication, confirming the performance and potential of its technology.
It claimed to have demonstrated the transfer of more than 200 gigabytes of data at 10 gigabits per second between spacecraft located more than 30 kilometers apart.
Reportedly, communications have now been tested at ranges of 30-1,000 km.
Deployment of series production satellites is slated to start in December, with 300 satellites to be placed in orbit initially and then 900 in stage 2. Five hundred base stations are planned, and homegrown terminals are planned to be launched soon.
According to Roscosmos chief Dmitry Bakanov, trial roll-out planned for 2027
Former Roscosmos Director General Yuri Borisov had announced that Russia’s NPO Lavochkina and Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems will be tasked with creating conveyor production capabilities by 2026, with 60 billion rubles needed to get up and running.
Other Starlink Alternatives
In addition to Starlink, Amazon’s Project Kuiper, Eutelsat’s OneWeb, and Telesat’s Lightspeed are also vying for the market.
The Project Kuiper network is planned to consist of 3,236 satellites. It uses Optical Inter-Satellite Links (OISL) using infrared lasers for intersatellite communication and radio frequency (RF) communication for satellite to ground communication.
OneWeb and Lightspeed are smaller networks, with 648 and 198 satellites, respectively. They have a global spread but feature more modest capacity and higher latency.
- Vijainder K Thakur is a retired IAF Jaguar pilot, author, software architect, entrepreneur, and military analyst.
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