2.12.2017

Soyuz-2.1b takes successfully military satellite to orbit - ministry

The launch was made from the Plesetsk pad in the Arkhangelsk Region at 13:43 Moscow time

Soyuz-2.1b, which took off the Plesetsk cosmodrome on Saturday, put successfully to the orbit a satellite of the Defense Ministry, press service of the military authority told reporters.

"The Soyuz-2.1b carrier at the designated time took successfully to the target orbit the space apparatus for interests of the Russian Defense Ministry."

The launch was made from the Plesetsk pad in the Arkhangelsk Region at 13:43 Moscow time.

"The launch and taking of the apparatus to the orbit went in a regular mode," the ministry said.

This was the fourth launch of Souz-2 carriers from Plesetsk since 2017. The previous start was on September 22 - Soyuz-2.1b took to the orbit the Glonass-M navigation space apparatus. Since 2004, from Plesetsk were launched 32 Soyuz-2 carriers of modernizations 1a, 1b and 1v.

On November 28, a Soyuz-2.1b space rocket blasted off from Vostochny with a payload of 19 satellites. The weather-watching satellite Meteor-M N. 2-1 constituted the bulk of the payload. Roscosmos then said that the Fregat booster and the satellites had been delivered to an intermediate orbit. A short while later the corporation said the satellite could not be found where expected and no contact with it could be established.

Roscosmos said citing findings of the accident commission that the Fregat booster with 19 satellites most likely fell down into northern Atlantic. According to Roscosmos, the upper stage of the Soyuz-2.1b rocket was put onto the support orbit in a routine mode, and there were no claims about work of the carrier’s systems or hardware. Thus, launches of Soyuz-2 space rockets were allowed as planned earlier. In the recent launch from Plesetsk a booster was not used.

Quelle: TASS