(Image credit: Bureau 1440) Russia has at last begun to deliver on its plans to establish a domestic state-funded rival to Elon Musk’s Starlink, reports The Moscow Times . The launch of the first 16 satellites , said to form the foundation of a constellation of 900 by 2035, was supposed to have happened in Q4 last year. The so-called Rassvet system aims to expand to 250 LEO satellites next year, when it will become a domestic commercial alternative to Starlink. Something was launched from Plesetsk cosmodrome less than an hour ago pic.twitter.com/hqAMMRfjMy March 23, 2026 A private aerospace outfit called Bureau 1440 appears to be the key tech partner of the government for this state venture. Scientists/engineers from this company are set to complete system checks on the newly launched 16 orbiters. When checks are finished, they will be moved into their target orbit positions. So, 16 out of 900 might sound like a drop in the ocean of space, but this first step was probably one of the most difficult.…