First Express-RV satellite to be launched in Oct 2025 - Roscosmos

MOSCOW. Dec 7 (Interfax) - The first Express-RV telecoms satellite of the Sfera federal project will be launched in October 2025, Roscosmos said on Wednesday.

"It is planned to launch the first Express-RV satellite in October 2025 and to fully deploy the orbital cluster in 2026," Roscosmos said.

The Express-RV constellation will consist of four satellites in a highly elliptical orbit.

"They will be equipped to operate in C, Ku and L bands and will have a guaranteed ten-year service life," it said.

Roscosmos Executive Director for Advanced Programs and Science Alexander Bloshenko told Interfax on July 13 that Roscosmos was planning to launch three Express-RV telecoms satellites into highly elliptical orbits in 2026, following the launch of the first satellite of this series.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the Sfera project in July 2018. The project aims at the deployment of a global satellite network to provide Internet and telephone service in Russia and abroad.

The Sfera constellation will consist of five telecom satellite groups, namely, Yamal, Express-RV, Express, Skif and Marafon, and five groups of remote sensing satellites - Berkut-Kh, Berkut-O, Berkut-VD, Berkut-S and Smotr.