# Russia launches 16 low-orbit satellites as Moscow seeks to build rival to Elon Musk's ‌Starlink network.

*aerospace · news · 2026-03-24 · Reuters*

## Key points

- Russia has launched its first batch of 16 operational low-orbit broadband satellites.
- Bureau 1440 is the Russian aerospace firm developing this satellite broadband system.
- This launch marks Russia's shift from experimental to operational communications services.
- Russia aims to compete directly with Starlink despite lagging in satellite count and infrastructure.

MOSCOW, March 24 (Reuters) - Russia said on Tuesday it had launched 16 low-orbit satellites as Moscow seeks ​to build a rival to Elon Musk's ‌Starlink network. Russia remains far behind Starlink, which since its first launch of operational satellites in 2019 has ​grown to more than 10,000 satellites ​in orbit. Sign up here. Bureau 1440, the Russian aerospace firm ⁠developing a low-Earth-orbit satellite system for global broadband ​data delivery, said it launched its first batch ​of 16 operational satellites on Monday. "The launch of the first devices of the target group is a transition ​from experiment to the creation of a ​communication service," it said in a statement. The Soviet Union ‌led ⁠early milestones in the space race, launching the Sputnik 1 satellite in 1957 and sending Yuri Gagarin into space in 1961 as the ​first human ​to orbit ⁠Earth. But after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Russia's space programme struggled ​with funding shortages, corruption and complaints ​from ⁠young engineers about poor management. According to Ashlee Vance's 2015 biography of Musk, Russian officials dismissed Musk ⁠in ​2002 as not credible, spurring ​him to find a way to undercut Russia's space launch ​fees.

**Companies:** Bureau 1440
**Countries:** Russia

[Read the full story on Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/russia-launches-low-orbit-satellites-bid-one-day-rival-starlink-2026-03-24/)

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