Lesya Leshchenko15:43, 12.03.26

The new Express-AT3 satellite will appear in orbit no earlier than 2030.

Russia has lost the Express-AT1 satellite , which provided broadcasting of propaganda resources to the occupied territories of Ukraine. The spacecraft failed on March 4 for unknown reasons and is beyond repair, ASTRA reports .

As stated by the state company that owns the satellite, “Cosmic Communication”, attempts to restore its operation were unsuccessful and “the satellite can now be considered lost.”

The new Express-AT3 satellite will not appear in orbit until 2030. The sudden shutdown of Express-AT1 has stopped broadcasting major TV channels, including operators NTV-Plus, Tricolor, and Russkiy Mir.

“Tricolor was able to find a temporary solution – to start broadcasting from a foreign satellite ABS-2A (a company headquartered in the UAE) and ask subscribers to reconfigure their antennas. “Russkiy Mir” cannot afford to broadcast from foreign satellites due to sanctions. The operator was created in 2022 to broadcast in the occupied territories of Ukraine. Ukrainian satellite TV operators have historically worked in these territories. And in a number of regions, the authorities have banned the use of satellite TV antennas tuned to European satellites,” the publication writes.

(c)UNIAN 2026