Rassvet falters as low-orbit drag delays Russia’s Starlink rival

ISW says Russia’s Rassvet constellation, Russia’s Starlink-like broadband network, is stalling as July batch satellites remain well below the planned 550 km orbit—many at 300–400 km with some reentering—while only about a third of the 2026 launches have reached sustainable altitude, delaying continuous coverage and potentially increasing Moscow’s reliance on SpaceX amid rocket-availability and infrastructure-strike pressures.