Russian communications satellite in trouble
A ten-year old Russian Ekspress geosynchronous communications satellite in early June developed problems that have forced engineers to shut down much of its capabilities.
The problem was similar to issues experienced in 2020 on a second similar Ekspress orbiting geosynchronous communications satellite, suggesting both satellites had the same design flaw.
For Russia the problem is made much more serious because its invasion of the Ukraine has made it impossible to replace this satellite.
The latest impact on Russian satellite communications capacity came at a time when the established production model for the Ekspress satellite family, relying on Western suppliers, had been disrupted by the Kremlin’s escalation of the war against Ukraine in 2022, likely resulting in severe delays if not a complete stop in the development of this type of spacecraft in Russia.
In other words, Russia has lost significant communications capacity, and does not have a way to replace that capacity because of the sanctions against it imposed because of its invasion. Once again, Putin’s idiotic war in the Ukraine has caused nothing but disaster for Russia.
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A ten-year old Russian Ekspress geosynchronous communications satellite in early June developed problems that have forced engineers to shut down much of its capabilities.
The problem was similar to issues experienced in 2020 on a second similar Ekspress orbiting geosynchronous communications satellite, suggesting both satellites had the same design flaw.
For Russia the problem is made much more serious because its invasion of the Ukraine has made it impossible to replace this satellite.
The latest impact on Russian satellite communications capacity came at a time when the established production model for the Ekspress satellite family, relying on Western suppliers, had been disrupted by the Kremlin’s escalation of the war against Ukraine in 2022, likely resulting in severe delays if not a complete stop in the development of this type of spacecraft in Russia.
In other words, Russia has lost significant communications capacity, and does not have a way to replace that capacity because of the sanctions against it imposed because of its invasion. Once again, Putin’s idiotic war in the Ukraine has caused nothing but disaster for Russia.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
I believe that they just launched a new Kondor-FKA radar satellite for reconnaissance. I don’t think Russian civilian communication satellites have any real impact on their military.
Charlie: I wasn’t specifically implying it would impact their military. It instead impacts ordinary Russians, who will no longer be able to get the same communications services everyone else in the world takes for granted.
Unless of course they somehow smuggle in a Starlink terminal and can operate it without the Russian authorities finding out.
This is a fairly big deal. Russia cannot build its own communications satellites. They can build the satellite bus, but they have to import the communications payload from the West, and said payloads fall under the sanctions imposed on Russia by every Western country.
For the technically curious, modern comsat payloads are built around the Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier (TWTA). There are only two places in the world to get a Ka- or Ku-band TWTA. One is in Europe, and the other is in the USA. India is trying to build their own, but so far they haven’t succeeded yet.
This is an example where the sanctions are beginning to bite. Some people point to the price of tomatoes* and say that the sanctions are backfiring. But tomatoes will neither win nor lose the war. Computer chips, tank production, drone production, comsats, optical sights, etc. will, however, have a significant effect.
”Unless of course they somehow smuggle in a Starlink terminal and can operate it without the Russian authorities finding out.”
That Starlink terminal would be useless. Starlink satellites use very narrow beams which are geo-fenced to only authorized areas. The entire Russian federation is unauthorized. If you set up a Starlink terminal inside Russia, the Starlink constellation would ignore it.
*Seriously, I’ve seen that argument made.
mkent: I agree about Russia’s situation and the consequences from its foolish invasion. As for Starlink, my comment was not really serious in any way.
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