Russian Satellite Constellation Loses One of Its First 16 Units Less Than Three Months After Launch

• June 9, 2026

In a development that highlights the challenges of maintaining satellite constellations, one of the initial 16 satellites launched by the Russian aerospace company Bureau 1440 has ceased operations within three months of deployment.

The satellites, designed to serve as a Russian parallel to the well-known Starlink network, were sent into orbit on March 23, 2026. The loss of one satellite in this newly established constellation was reported based on data from the satellite tracking websites n2yo.com and celestrak.org.

Early Setback for Russian Satellite Ambitions

Bureau 1440’s satellite constellation aims to provide enhanced communication capabilities, positioning itself as Russia’s answer to the increasingly crowded market of low Earth orbit broadband providers. The startup fleet of 16 satellites represented Bureau 1440’s initial move to establish a functioning network.

However, less than three months after launch, one of these satellites has apparently stopped responding or transmitting data, according to publicly available monitoring sources. The specific causes for the loss remain undisclosed, and it is not clear whether the failure is due to technical malfunction, collision, or other operational issues.

Satellite constellations require consistent performance from each unit to maintain network integrity and uninterrupted service. The premature loss of a satellite could impact both the network’s coverage and the company’s plans for expansion.

This incident underscores the inherent risks of deploying and managing satellite networks in low Earth orbit, where space is becoming increasingly congested. Although Bureau 1440 has not made an official statement addressing the situation, the event provides an early test of the operational resilience of Russia’s emerging space communications infrastructure.

As global competition in satellite internet services intensifies, monitoring the durability and reliability of new satellite operators like Bureau 1440 will be critical in assessing the long-term viability of their constellation strategies.

Less than three months after deployment, one satellite from Russia’s Bureau 1440 constellation is no longer operational, according to tracking data.