It is as easy as pie to build the industry: The results of the Industrial Competence Center “Satellite Communications” were summarized at the Demo Day in Moscow
Using the example of the Express-AMU4, the industry successfully completed the full-scale production of a completely domestic satellite. This is a significant undertaking, as a satellite today consists of 1,040 devices and equipment units manufactured at 300 enterprises. Now it is important to understand how the solutions tested during the satellite's development will be scaled up, said General Director of RSCC and Chairman of the Industrial Competence Center (ICC) “Satellite Communications” at the Demo Day of the ICC. The event took place on October 2 in Moscow as part of the 30th anniversary international conference of space communications operators and users, SATCOMRUS 2025.
“This experience will be scaled up quite broadly, since, firstly, the Yamal-501, currently being manufactured by JSC RESHETNEV, is a near-twin of the Express-AMU4. Secondly, many of the solutions used in the AMU4 are also implemented in the four Express-RV satellites, which, as was announced today, will be launched in 2027. Finally, there are seven more satellites that we plan to order within the next two years. In other words, this is essentially full-fledged and small-scale production,” noted Alexey Volin. Currently, JSC RESHETNEV is assembling the satellite: the designed components and devices are being installed on the platform.
Pavel Tatarenko, Deputy Chairman of ICC, Deputy General Director and Head of the IT Service of RSCC, announced that the hardware and software system of spacecraft control would be operational in March 2026. “Accordingly, at that point, we will be ready to say that we will have 100% import substitution at a critical information infrastructure facility,” Tatarenko explained.
In turn, Evgeny Buydinov, Deputy General Director for Communications Systems Development and Operation of RSCC, focused on the results of testing domestic technical solutions and equipment at the RSCC. Specifically, he spoke about the testing zone established at the Satellite Communications Center (SCC) Bear Lakes, a branch of RSCC. The main objective of this zone is to create a unified approach to approving equipment for operation in satellite networks, testing it for compatibility, interchangeability, and security, aligning requirements with standards and regulations, and practicing the implementation of new solutions. A number of other technologies and promising prototypes are being tested at the SCC Zheleznogorsk, SCC Dubna, and Shabolovka Technical Centre.
“Over the past two years, more than 20 promising domestic equipment prototypes have been tested with the participation of RSCC. Currently, there is significant activity in the development of small terminals and solutions for communication on the move,” concluded Evgeny Buydinov.