WASHINGTON, USA, Oct. 12, 2026 - Russia has presented ground terminals for Rassvet, its satellite internet constellation, according to the Institute for the Study of War.^[1] The system is developed by the Russian aerospace firm Bureau 1440.^[2] Only 13 Rassvet satellites are currently operational, according to the Daily Express, which reports that full deployment is scheduled for the end of 2027 and calls that timeline overly optimistic.^[3] Analyst Maxim Starchak describes Rassvet as a low-Earth-orbit system similar to SpaceX's Starlink, designed for real-time control of unmanned aerial vehicles.^[4] Bulgaria's 24 Chasa reports that the network is meant to let first-person-view military drones operate over long ranges.^[5] Ukrainian military sources said on 12 October that Russia has begun mass-producing Rassvet satellites using electronic components from China.^[6] Impact Insight. Low-orbit internet constellations need many satellites, because each one is above a given spot for only a few minutes. For planetary defense the link is near-Earth space safety, not asteroids: every new constellation adds objects that tracking networks must follow to avoid collisions and debris.