Russia Claims Drone Thwarted During Launch of First Rassvet Satellites

On March 23, Russia sent the first 16 satellites of its Rassvet network into orbit from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome using a Soyuz-2.1b rocket. Rassvet is a satellite constellation intended to provide broadband and data relay services similar to SpaceX’s Starlink, and Bureau 1440 is building it with more than $1.2 billion of state funding.

Russian officials say enemy drones tried to strike the spaceport on launch day, but combined Roscosmos and Space Forces crews repelled them. The launch added to Russia’s tally of 17 orbital flights in 2025, which Roscosmos says puts the country behind only the United States and China. Plesetsk lies about 800 kilometers north of Moscow in the Arkhangelsk region and serves as a military spaceport. Recent months have seen multiple drone warnings at the site, though none have caused damage. Local authorities briefly restricted mobile internet in the nearby town of Mirny as a precaution during the launch window.

The Rassvet deployment supports Moscow’s goal of fielding an independent communications network for military and civilian users. Observers will track whether Rassvet can grow beyond its initial batch and how often launch attempts encounter interference.