🛰 SCRF Allocates Frequencies for New Satellite

The network will be deployed via the Yamal-501 telecommunications spacecraft, which is scheduled for launch to the 55° East geostationary orbital slot in late 2027. The regulatory decision has been granted for a 10-year period.

The allocated Ku-band resource (13.75–14.5 GHz for uplink and 10.95–12.75 GHz for downlink) is designated for the operation of the satellite itself, as well as standard and experimental ground stations featuring antenna diameters of 3.7 and 7.2 meters. A key condition imposed by the regulator is the prioritized use of Russian-made radio-electronic equipment sourced from the Unified Registry of Domestic Industrial Products. Additionally, GSS is required to submit filing materials to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) within three years. GSS emphasized that securing these frequencies marks the final regulatory milestone, removing any legal obstacles to the spacecraft’s operation.

The Yamal-501 is being developed under a public-private partnership by Reshetnev JSC (part of Roscosmos) on the basis of the Express-1000 standardized platform. The new satellite is slated to replace the aging Yamal-402 spacecraft, which was launched in 2012 and has reached the end of its operational lifespan. The new spacecraft features a design life of 15 years, with the onboard power system delivering 6.3 kW to the payload. Its primary mission is to provide communications and broadcasting services across the Russian Federation, as well as the Middle East and Africa.

According to the manufacturer, the project is in an active phase: the structural assembly of the service systems module platform was completed in the spring of 2026, an engineering qualification model has been built for ground testing, and scientists at the Krasnoyarsk Science Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences have developed high-performance input multiplexers for the spacecraft.

Nevertheless, industry experts point to serious challenges ahead. The current launch timeline has already slipped from 2026 to 2027, and sources indicate that risks of further delays persist due to the import-substitution of the payload using domestic components. Furthermore, Nikolay Sevastiyanov, founder of GSS, noted that the coverage area of Yamal-501 could turn out to be smaller than that of its predecessor, while timely replacement of 2010s-era satellites remains critical for national broadcasting security.

The economic aspect of the project is further complicated by market isolation. Sergey Alekseev, CEO of SIX LLC, stresses that due to component sanctions, expensive logistics, and the northern latitudinal location of the country’s cosmodromes, the costs of building space infrastructure in Russia are the highest in the world. Given that the Russian Federation accounts for less than 1% of the global space market, breaking even on such heavy civil spacecraft—production and launch costs of which are estimated at around 5 billion rubles—solely through domestic demand remains unfeasible, making an orientation toward export regions absolutely essential.