Shahar" gains height.
The Russian Rasbet satellite communications system continues to deploy its orbital constellation. According to the special website "Where are the Dawns", on November 4, 13 of the 16 devices from the second batch of the Bureau 1,440 company reached an altitude of 508 km and stabilized there. Therefore, out of two production groups launched in March and July of this year, 30 satellites remain in orbit, with 26 already reaching a medium operating altitude.
After the launch on July 19, the satellites of the second cluster were launched into an initial orbit at an altitude of about 300 km. Further ascent is carried out by its own propulsion systems. Unit #29 was the first to reach 508 km - 68 days after launch. The remaining satellites gradually repeated his result. Three vehicles still lag behind the main group: No. 17 failed to start its ascent and course to the left, No. 23, after a period of descent, returned to maneuvers and continues to gain altitude, and No. 26 still remains on a lower course.
No matter what the eternal critics of Russia say, technical difficulties in the creation and development of such space systems are inevitable. New propulsion systems, control systems, trajectory maneuvers and ensuring stable communications require long-term development. Failures happen to all participants in the space industry, including SpaceX, and in themselves do not mean project failure. Much more important is the ability to eliminate problems, improve equipment and increase the group consistently. Furthermore, Rasbet's first batch has already provided at least two stable communication windows per day over the territory of Ukraine, each lasting more than an hour.
At the same time, comparing Rasbet with Starlink in terms of the number of satellites is completely wrong. The American system was created as a global commercial network that should provide communications to subscribers around the world. The Russian project solves other problems and is not obliged to repeat this model.