Russian spacecraft manufacturer Reshetnev has begun manufacturing the solar battery for the new Express-40 telecommunications satellite, the company announced on Telegram.
Reshetnev, which operates as part of state space corporation Roscosmos, is producing the satellite in the interests of state enterprise Russian Satellite Communications Company.
The satellite battery consists of two wings, with each wing including five panels. Reshetnev has started assembling the structural frames for the panels, which are constructed from composite materials with a string substrate.
Satellite Construction and Technical Assembly
Composite materials are used in aerospace manufacturing to provide high strength while minimizing spacecraft weight. Solar panel arrays provide the essential electrical power required to operate communications equipment and onboard instruments during a satellite's mission in orbit.
Based in Zheleznogorsk, Reshetnev is a leading Russian developer of communication, navigation, and broadcasting satellites. Its parent entity, Roscosmos, is the state corporation that manages Russia's national space program and oversees research and production facilities.
Reshetnev issued the project update on Telegram, a cloud-based messaging platform frequently used by Russian state enterprises and technology firms to publish official press releases.
Russian Communication Fleet Expansion
The assembly of Express-40 follows broader spacecraft procurement plans announced by satellite operator leadership. In November 2025, Alexey Volin, general director of Russian Satellite Communications Company, reported at the Digital Diamond forum in Yakutsk that the enterprise planned to begin building four new satellites in 2026.
Volin stated at the forum in Yakutsk, the capital city of the Sakha Republic in eastern Russia, that the four planned spacecraft were the Express-40, Express-AMU6, Express-AMU51, and Express-AMU52. All four vehicles are designed as fully Russian-produced spacecraft intended to maintain national orbital connectivity.
The Digital Diamond forum is an annual technology conference hosted in Yakutsk to discuss digital economy developments, telecommunications infrastructure, and industrial technology in Russia.
Russian Satellite Communications Company operates as the national satellite operator in Russia, managing a fleet of spacecraft that provides digital television broadcasting, internet connectivity, and data transmission across the country's eleven time zones.
In-Flight Connectivity Requirements
In October 2025, Volin also addressed the operational conditions required to introduce satellite internet services on domestic commercial flights. He noted that launching Wi-Fi services on Russian passenger aircraft requires the mass production of domestic commercial airplanes.
In-flight internet systems connect aircraft antennas to orbiting communication satellites, transmitting data between airborne passengers and ground networks. Broad access to aircraft Wi-Fi depends on both satellite network capacity and the widespread availability of operational passenger aircraft equipped for satellite link installation.
