Russia Plans to Begin Mass Production of the Zorkiy Satellite in 2026

Russia will begin mass production of a new Earth-observation satellite called Zorkiy in 2026, according to Dmitry Bakanov, chief executive of Roscosmos. Bakanov announced the plans during a broadcast on Russia’s Channel One.

Zorkiy is designed for remote sensing of the Earth. Imagery captured from orbit is used to generate digital maps that support the navigation of unmanned systems, including drones and other autonomous vehicles.

Russian officials describe the spacecraft as a domestic analogue to SpaceX’s Starlink, framing the project as part of a broader effort to build sovereign space-based infrastructure.

A 300-Satellite Constellation

According to Bakanov, newly produced satellites are expected to begin launching into orbit in 2027. In total, Russia plans to deploy more than 300 satellites in low Earth orbit. Together, they are intended to provide stable cellular connectivity across the entire country, including remote and hard-to-reach regions.

The project reflects a shift toward constellation-based space systems, where coverage and resilience are achieved through large numbers of coordinated satellites rather than a handful of large spacecraft.

Early Tests Already in Orbit

The Zorkiy program has already completed initial flight testing. A multispectral version of the satellite, Zorkiy‑2M, was previously launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome. During its early in-orbit trials, the satellite successfully transmitted its first images back to Earth.

Those results, Roscosmos says, cleared the way for scaling up production.

If the rollout proceeds as planned, Zorkiy could become a core layer in Russia’s expanding autonomous-systems ecosystem—linking space-based imaging, digital mapping, and ground-level robotics into a single, nationally controlled network.