Russia cloaks launch schedule after spaceport falls in Ukraine's sights
Summary
Russia’s Plesetsk Cosmodrome, a northern military spaceport, has faced several drone attack attempts in recent months. Despite these attempts, Russia successfully launched the first batch of its own Starlink-like communication satellites called Rassvet from this site.Key Facts
- Plesetsk Cosmodrome is located in Russia’s Arkhangelsk region, about 500 miles north of Moscow.
- Russia is developing a satellite network named Rassvet, similar to the U.S. Starlink system, to support military communications.
- The Russian government has invested over $1.2 billion in the company Bureau 1440, which is developing Rassvet.
- The first 16 Rassvet satellites launched on March 23, 2025, using a Soyuz-2.1b rocket from Plesetsk.
- Russian officials reported several drone attack attempts on Plesetsk, including one near the March launch and another in December 2024.
- Local authorities in Mirny, the town near the spaceport, warned residents of drone threats and temporarily restricted mobile internet for security reasons.
- Russian forces claim to have detected and neutralized these drone threats before they could hit the spaceport.
- The Russian space agency Roscosmos had 17 launches planned in 2025, ranking third behind the U.S. and China.
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