All news

Roscosmos plans over 10 launches next three months

The first launch of Russia’s new Angara rocket with a test weight from Plesetsk is scheduled for June 25

MOSCOW, May 05 /ITAR-TASS/. The Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) is planning more than ten launches from Baikonur, Plesetsk, French Guiana and the floating platform in the Pacific in the next three months.

The satellite Express-AM4R will be launched aboard a Proton-M carrier rocket on May 16; Soyuz TMA-13M with a crew of astronauts will be launched on May 28, Roscosmos said on Monday, May 5.

The satellite EUTELSAT-3B will be launched aboard a Zenit-2SL rocket on May 27 under the Sea Launch programme.

Roscosmos will also prepare and execute two launches from the northern Plesetsk Cosmodrome: Soyuz-2.1a with a military satellite on board on May 6 and a Rokot carrier rocket at the end of the month.

The first launch of Russia’s new Angara rocket with a test weight from Plesetsk is scheduled for June 25.

Soyuz 2.1b with the satellite Meteor-M will blast off from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on June 19; Proton-M with a Luch satellite on June 20.

The satellite Glonass-M will be launched from Plesetsk aboard a Soyuz-2.1b rocket on June 14.

Three launches from Baikonur are scheduled for July: Express-AM6 aboard a Proton-M rocket on July 15; Foton-M aboard a Soyuz-2.1a rocket on July 18; and the transport ship Progress M-24M aboard a Soyuz-U carrier rocket on July 24.

Rokot launch vehicle with a Gonetrs-M satellite will lift off from Baikonur on July 9.

Four satellites will be launched aboard a Soyuz-ST-B rocket from French Guiana on July 3.

Roscosmos is also planning to launch five Soyuz 2.1v carrier rockets from the northern Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the next two years, Roscosmos Head Oleg Ostapenko said.

“Everything will depend on the payload. We are actively working on the payload with the Defence Ministry. We will carry out five qualification launches with a payload from Plesetsk,” he said.

The first trial launch of the Angara rocket from Plesetsk scheduled for June 25. The new carrier rocket will be used to launch both civilian and military spacecraft and in international space cooperation projects.

The Angara class of rockets comprises four types of vehicles, with payload capacities ranging between 3.7 tones /light class, intended for low orbits/ and 28.5 tonnes.

The rockets are based on a universal rocket module powered by the RD-191 engine using kerosene and liquid oxygen. One such module makes up the first stage of the light class Angara 1.1 and Angara 1.2 boosters. Their second stages are different. The medium and heavy class boosters Angara-3 and Angara 4 are an extension of the light class types with additional three or four universal modules. Depending on the specific tasks, the booster can be equipped with the Briz-M or KVRB accelerator units.

The first light-lift launch vehicle Soyuz 2.1v (with a Volga booster and a satellite) was launched on December 28, 2013 from Plesetsk.

Soyuz-2.1v is a two-stage light carrier rocket and can lift off from the launch pads designed for Soyuz-2 rockets. Complete with a Volga booster, Soyuz-2.1v will be able to deliver spacecraft to circular orbits of up to 1,500 km and heliosynchronous orbits of up to 850 km.

The rocket is designed by the Progress State Research and Production Space Centre (also known as TsSKB-Progress).

Tags