Russia is launching satellites to build an internet network to compete with Elon Musk's Starlink.

Russia has announced the launch of 16 satellites into low Earth orbit, marking an important step in efforts to build a satellite internet system that rivals Elon Musk's Starlink.

The launch took place from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and is carried out by the Russian aerospace company 'Office 1440', which aims to provide global broadband communication services. This initiative comes in a context where Russia is facing difficulties in its space program, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, when it lost its technological edge.

Although the Soviet Union was a leader in space exploration, Russia has fallen behind in the current competition, with Starlink already having over 10,000 satellites in orbit.

The launch of these satellites represents a transition from the experimental stage to the creation of an operational communication service.