Russia completes first tests of satellite to compete with US Starlink

“We have successfully completed the first series of tests of inter-satellite communication using a laser of our own design,” Business Insider quoted Bureau 1440's announcement on its Telegram account on June 3.

During the tests, 200 gigabytes of data were transmitted at a speed of 10 gigabits per second, between satellites located more than 30 km apart.

Bureau 1440 said the success of the tests confirmed the performance and potential of the technology, adding that the company is preparing dozens of new tests at distances of up to hundreds of kilometers between satellites.

SpaceX's Starlink satellites operate in low Earth orbit and also use laser links between satellites to transmit data between each other. This allows the satellite network to provide widespread Internet coverage around the world.

Earlier in 2020, Russia-based Bureau 1440, formerly known as MegaFon 1440, announced plans to invest the equivalent of $76 million in the development of a satellite data transmission system. According to the Russian portal TAdviser, the company launched its first three satellites into orbit in 2023. These devices are the first to use 5G communications. It took less than 14 months to develop the devices.

In a Telegram post last month, the company said its goal is to create a broadband data service that can provide high-speed, low-latency communications anywhere in the world, similar to Space X's Starlink.

The company's website touts the project as a revolution similar to Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite successfully launched into orbit in 1957.

Bureau 1440 is one of a handful of companies developing global high-speed Internet access via satellite networks in low Earth orbit, alongside Amazon of the United States, Eutelsat of France and Telesat of Canada.

Commenting on the announcement of the successful tests of Bureau 1440, the Russian Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media stressed that with this technology, satellite Internet and communications will be available without interruption in the most remote parts of Russia. This technology will also provide Russians with the ability to communicate in places where it is not possible to install ground transmission stations.

Russia is still working on building a satellite network similar to Starlink. In 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin directed the allocation of 116 billion rubles to develop high-speed satellite internet over the next decade. However, the actual estimated cost of the Bureau 1440 project could be as high as 644 billion rubles.