Russia’s Starlink Rival Suffers Major Satellite Launch Failure

Russia’s second batch of 16 Rassvet satellites failed to reach its intended operational altitude, creating setback in Moscow’s effort to develop an alternative to Starlink, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported. Some satellites are already losing altitude, with at least two reportedly heading toward reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. ISW said Russia lacks the launch capacity needed to rapidly establish stable, around-the-clock satellite coverage over Ukraine.