MOSCOW, September 16. /TASS/. Russia’s space start-up Yaliny that intends to create a constellation of satellites in orbit to provide global Internet access, has concluded an agreement with the international space company Kosmotras on the launch of its satellites using the Dnepr conversion rocket (based on the RS-20 ICBM - "Satan" by NATO’s reporting name), the Russian start-up said on Wednesday in a presentation on its website.

A contract has been concluded with Kosmotras on launching test satellites, the company said.

The presentation says the satellites will be launched in clusters - several spacecraft at a time will be orbited.

In the period from 2017 to 2020, the Russian start-up intends to create a constellation of 144 satellites in a low Earth orbit (600 km), and build 40 Earth-based stations. The company intends to provide global mobile service at about $10 a month, with unlimited data, no roaming, or other charges and inconveniences. In order to provide it, the company is working on a telecommunication infrastructure based on low cost and highly efficient LEO (low earth orbit) satellites designed by it, says the presentation.

The Company assesses the total project cost at $1.5 billion. The initial investment is much lower than that of the competitors - $1.5 billion against $7-10 billion, according to the presentation.

Yaliny’s development programme will be presented in Moscow on Thursday.

However, TASS has not been able to get a comment from Yaliny representatives or from Kosmotras.

Dnepr is a three-stage liquid-fuelled rocket. Its first and second stages are nominal components of the RS-20 ballistic missile (SS-18 "Satan"). Kosmotras is engaged in modernising the RS-20B missiles developed in Dnepropetrovsk (Ukraine). Their launches are carried out from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan and from the Orenburg region of Russia.

According to previous reports, Russia’s Roscosmos Federal Space Agency jointly with Arianespace and OneWeb signed an agreement on the launch of almost 700 satellites using 21 Soyuz carrier rockets. The satellites will also provide global communications and Internet access services.

The International Space Company Kosmotras or ISC Kosmotras is a joint project between Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan, established in 1997. It developed and now operates a commercial expendable launch system using the Dnepr rocket. ISC Kosmotras conducts Dnepr launches at both Baikonur Cosmodrome and at a new Yasny launch base in Dombarovskiy, Russia’s Orenburg region.