Tag: Russia
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Russian Satellite Imagery Reportedly Supports Iranian Targeting of U.S. Bases
Russian Earth observation satellites are providing imagery to Iranian military forces to support targeting of U.S. and allied installations across the Middle East, according to defense intelligence assessments reported on September 17, 2026. The reported cooperation involves synthetic aperture radar and high-resolution optical imagery used to refine information on fixed military sites, air-defense positions and…
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Russia Launches Progress 96 Cargo Ship With Three Tons of Supplies for ISS (Video)
A Russian Soyuz rocket launched the robotic Progress 96 freighter from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sept. 16, 2026 at 9:33 a.m. EDT (1333 GMT). Progress 96 is loaded with about 3 tons of food, propellant and other supplies for the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Credit: NASA Russia launched the uncrewed Progress…
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Russia’s Rassvet Broadband Constellation Faces In-Orbit Failures and Deployment Risks
Russia’s effort to build a sovereign low-Earth orbit broadband network has encountered propulsion problems and at least three probable satellite failures during the deployment of its first 32 operational Rassvet spacecraft. Bureau 1440, the Moscow-based company developing Rassvet, launched two batches of 16 satellites on March 23 and July 19, 2026. Both missions used Soyuz-2.1b…
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Ukraine Presses for Starlink Access to Enable Drone Strikes Inside Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has awarded Elon Musk the Order of Freedom, one of Ukraine’s highest state honors, recognizing the SpaceX founder’s role in supporting the country through the deployment of Starlink satellite communications services following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. The award comes at a moment when Starlink has evolved far beyond its original…
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Rassvet Satellite Failures Expose Challenges Facing Russia’s Starlink Alternative
Russia’s effort to build a sovereign low-Earth-orbit broadband constellation has suffered a setback after the apparent loss of one operational Rassvet satellite and growing concerns that two additional spacecraft may soon reenter the atmosphere, raising questions about the pace and reliability of the country’s emerging Starlink competitor. According to orbital tracking data cited by multiple…
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Russian Space Activity Forces U.S. Air Force C-17 to Turn Back From Antarctica
A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III bound for Antarctica turned around over the Southern Ocean on Aug. 18 after aviation authorities warned of potentially hazardous Russian space activity and possible debris. The incident highlights a growing operational problem for both military and commercial aviation: activity in space can increasingly create hazards hundreds of thousands…
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Russia Accelerates Rassvet Satellite-Internet Deployment
MOSCOW/KYIV, Aug. 13, 2026 — Russia is accelerating the deployment of Rassvet, a domestically developed low-Earth-orbit broadband constellation intended to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign satellite communications. Recent launches and orbital observations suggest that the project has moved beyond experimental testing, although its present capabilities remain far short of SpaceX’s Starlink network. The system…
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ESA Chief Calls for Independent European Human Spaceflight Capability
European Space Agency Director General Josef Aschbacher has called for Europe to establish its own independent human spaceflight capability, arguing that the continent has become overly dependent on decisions made by foreign partners. In an opinion article published on May 18, Aschbacher said recent changes to the United States’ Artemis programme architecture and Europe’s reduced…
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Russia Joins US-China GEO Inspector Satellite Arms Race
What does Russia’s entry into GEO inspector operations mean for orbital security? Russia has deployed its first known inspector satellites in geostationary orbit (GEO), completing a three-way surveillance competition with the US and China at the critical 35,786 km altitude. The development marks a significant escalation in space domain awareness capabilities, with all three major…
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Russia debuts new rocket with maiden Soyuz-5 launch
Russia’s brand new Soyuz-5 rocket made its first flight on Saturday, lifting off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Thursday on a suborbital demonstration mission with a dummy payload that will pave the way for its entry into service. This launch is something the Baikonur Cosmodrome has not witnessed for many decades – the debut of…