Bureau 1440, a Russian aerospace corporation, is embarking on a new phase in the development of its low-Earth-orbit satellite constellation. This phase involves the direct testing of satellite communications on railway transport. The company has already installed a prototype communications terminal on a long-distance train and plans to start full-scale trials on Russian railways rolling stock in the near future. Testing will be implemented in numerous regions of Russia, including Krasnoyarsk, the Far East, and the southern and northern regions.
The initiative is significant for Bureau 1440 because the company is gradually transitioning its satellite system from experimental trials to a fully operational broadband data service. High-speed rail transportation is expected to be one of the most prominent applications.
Satellite Communications Coming to Lastochkas and Sapsans
During the CIPR 2026 conference, Bureau 1440 and Russian Railways reached an agreement on a comprehensive strategy for the implementation of satellite communications. Under the plans, 135 Lastochka and Sapsan high-speed trains across Russia are expected to be equipped with satellite internet.
The service is expected to cover major routes, including Moscow–St. Petersburg, Moscow–Nizhny Novgorod, Krasnodar–Sochi, Moscow–Minsk, and other destinations.
Bureau 1440 has installed a test satellite communications terminal on a long-distance train, according to Alexey Shelobkov, CEO of IKS Holding. The service will be directly tested by the company while the train is in motion in the upcoming days and weeks.
The railway terminal was subjected to mechanical testing on a laboratory carriage before this. Engineers are now required to evaluate it in much more challenging conditions, such as the equipment’s performance during the train’s movement, the connection’s stability, and its capacity to maintain communications over extended distances.
Tests Across Different Regions
A key feature of the current testing program is its broad geographical scope. Bureau 1440 plans to assess the satellite system in a variety of regions throughout Russia, rather than solely on a single route or in a single climate zone.
Testing is currently underway in many regions of the country, including Krasnoyarsk, as well as the southern and northern regions, according to Shelobkov. The Far East is also being regarded as a significant location for the project’s future development.
Trains also pass through the regions that are sparsely populated and remote, as well as those with inadequate or nonexistent terrestrial communications infrastructure. A communications channel that is more consistent in these regions could potentially be provided by a low-Earth-orbit satellite network.
From Experiment to Full-Scale Constellation
The railway tests come as Bureau 1440 undertakes the large-scale deployment of its satellite constellation. The company launched the first group of 16 satellites for its low-Earth-orbit communications constellation, Rassvet, in March 2026.
The Soyuz-2.1b rocket was used to launch the spacecraft into an initial orbit. Following their separation from the launch vehicle, they were transferred to Bureau 1440’s mission control center.
The second shipment was launched on July 19. The satellites were effectively separated from their launch vehicle and placed under the control of the company’s ground control system after being deployed into the initial orbit.
The company has announced that the project has transitioned from the research phase to the practical deployment of the service. As additional launches occur, the quantity of satellites in orbit will gradually increase.
292 Satellites Planned by 2030
Bureau 1440 intends to launch 292 communications satellites into orbit by 2030, which will include reserve spacecraft. The National Data Economy project is providing funding for the advancement of the Russian low-Earth-orbit broadband internet constellation.
The project is expected to receive 102.8 billion rubles in federal funding by 2030, in addition to an additional 329 billion rubles in the company’s own investment.
The Bureau 1440 satellites are built on the company’s proprietary spacecraft platform. They include a plasma propulsion system, next-generation inter-satellite laser communication terminals, an upgraded power system, and 5G NTN communications technology. Additionally, the organization has implemented its own satellite separation system for batch launches.
The transition from experimental spacecraft to the initial operational constellation has taken approximately 1,000 days, according to the leadership of IKS Holding. A substantial increase in the number of satellites in orbit and dozens of launches will be necessary for the subsequent stage.
A Terminal Designed for Moving Trains
For railway applications, simply establishing a connection with a satellite is not enough. To ensure that the connection is maintained while the train is in continuous motion, the user equipment must automatically monitor satellites and compensate for changes in the terminal’s position.
A prototype terminal that was specifically designed for railroad locomotives was previously unveiled by Bureau 1440. The equipment was developed with the requirements of moving railway vehicles in mind by the engineers.
The company asserts that its user terminals are less than 15 kilograms in weight and measure up to 60 centimeters in length and breadth. The maximum declared throughput of a single terminal is 1 Gbit/s. The equipment is intended to function within a temperature range of -40 to +40 degrees Celsius.
The terminals employ active electronically scanned antenna technology. This enables the equipment to autonomously establish a connection, locate a satellite, and maintain communications during operation.
From Trains to Aircraft
Railway connectivity is only one part of Bureau 1440’s broader strategy for developing user terminals. The organization is also engaged in the development of aviation terminals and has aspirations to offer broadband satellite internet service to passengers on aircraft.
The company is in the process of creating an aviation-specific variant of its terminal in conjunction with Aeroflot. It is also developing equipment for Russian aircraft, such as the Sukhoi Superjet 100, MC-21, and Tu-214.
The aviation program is advancing at a slower pace due to the rigorous requirements that pertain to aircraft integration, power consumption, weight, certification, and safety.
The First Results Came in 2023
The project began well before the current constellation deployment. Bureau 1440 conducted its inaugural communications session with three satellites from the Rassvet-1 mission on July 1, 2023.
The company successfully demonstrated its own “space internet,” which achieved a data transmission speed of 10 Mbit/s to a user device with a latency of 41 milliseconds.
The current objective is significantly more extensive. Bureau 1440 must progress beyond the demonstration of communications between individual satellites and terminals to establish a stable low-Earth-orbit network that can serve users on the ground, aboard trains, and ultimately on aircraft.
This is the reason why the tests on Russian railways are significant in addition to the immediate Russian Railroads project. Passengers on high-speed trains may ultimately have access to high-speed internet in regions where conventional terrestrial networks are unable to reliably provide coverage, provided that the trials are successful.