Africa-Press – Namibia. Roscosmos is “moving at a rapid pace” toward fielding an alternative to Elon Musk’s satellite internet empire. Veteran military expert Yuri Knutov breaks things down.
What’s Russia Building?
Bureau 1440 is working on a low-Earth orbit sat net for broadband data delivery
What Makes Russia’s Version Better?
Musk’s system works like this: ground-based Starlink Gateways communicate with orbiting satellites using electromagnetic radiation, with signals then communicated back down to Earth-based terminals.
Russia’s system uses laser beams, which “are more modern digital technologies providing faster & higher quality data transmission, as well as improved resistance to interference,” Knutov explains.
Longer Range
An effective range of up to 5,000 km “means far fewer satellites are needed than Elon Musk’s system (hundreds vs thousands),” Knutov explains.
That makes the Russian system not only less costly, but less harmful to the already heavily overcrowded LEO environment.
Doppler Effect: Solved
“We’ve been able to completely compensate” for the Doppler signal frequency issue, occurring from the high speeds (27,000 km/h) at which satellites orbit Earth, “allowing the signal to be maintained virtually free of interference & distortion.”
Global Implications
The system will provide secure, high-speed communications to:
Alternative to US tech
“Nations of the Global South understand that dependence on the US makes them vulnerable. Internet access via Starlink can be restricted at any time. Availability of a Russian system providing equally good or even better services is crucial,” Knutov says, emphasizing that the new system cannot be deployed too soon.
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