In Russia, the manufacture of the first Scythian satellite began, which, like its Starlink and OneWeb competitors, is intended for broadband Internet access, RIA Novosti reports, referring to the materials of the manufacturer – “information satellite systems” (ISS) .
The corresponding spacecraft was called “Skiff-D”.
It is noted that the “Scythian” will enter the multifunction satellite system “sphere”.
According to the plans, the Scyth system will include 12 spacecraft located in an orbit 8070 kilometers high.
In August, the general director of Roskosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, said that the state corporation would receive the first funds for the creation of a scientific and technical nestling under the program “Sphere” in the coming days. “At first, we are talking about seven billion rubles, which must be implemented to create a scientific and technical nestling, that is, not the group, namely the prototypes of the group,” said the manager.
In June, the general director during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum said that the implementation of the Russian Space Program “Sphere” will cost 800 billion rubles, of which 500 billion are extrabudgetary funds.
In the same month, the Deputy General Designer of the Issis Alexander Budnikov, as part of the XIV International Navigation Forum in Moscow, told TASS that the first demonstration satellite of the Scyth system is planned to be launched in the fall of 2022.