Russian Space Program: News & Discussion #3

Russia’s Progress MS-13 space freighter delivered into near-Earth orbit

https://tass.com/science/1096471

Russian Proton-M lofts new geostationary weather satellite



Russia has launched a new geostationary weather satellite, Elektro-L No.3, on Tuesday aboard a Proton-M rocket which flew from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Liftoff occurred on time at 18:03 local time (12:03 UTC), conducting a six-and-a-half-hour mission for Russia’s veteran heavy-lift rocket.

The satellite will join the Elektro-L No.1 and No.2 satellites in orbit. These were launched aboard Zenit-3F rockets in January 2011 and December 2015 and operate at longitudes of 14.5 and 77.8 degrees East respectively.

Weighing in at 2,094 kilograms (4,616 lb), Elektro-L No.3 is slightly heavier than its two predecessors. This is likely due to additional propellant – the Proton rocket that will launch No.3 is more powerful than the Zenit vehicles used to launch the last two satellites, which were launched with part-empty tanks to keep them within Zenit’s payload envelope. The additional propellant will allow Elektro-L No.3 to station-keep for longer, giving it a better chance of exceeding its planned ten-year design life.

The Elektro-L satellites were built by NPO Lavochkin and are based around the Navigator bus. Its primary instrument is the 106-kilogram (234-pound) Multispectral Scanner – Geostationary (MSU-GS), an imager operating at ten visible and infrared wavelengths which can image the full disc of the Earth twice per hour. It can produce visible-light images at resolutions of up to one kilometer (0.6 miles, 0.5 nautical miles), and infrared images at resolutions up to four kilometers (2.5 miles, 2.2 nautical miles).

link

That's 21/21 successful launches this year with one more mission to close out 2019 (a Rokot/Briz-KM launching Gonets-M № 15 & Blits-M1 on Dec 26).

How many successful launches with russian engines were made in Amiland? We should add them to the tally. Or (to stay with the football metaphor) at least 0,5 for every launch.

PapaDragon wrote:
Just one more to go

Hopefully they don't drop the ball now at the end zone, it would be nice to have a perfect score after so long

The last mission is from Plesetsk, so its likely success as close to a certainty as you get in this world.  The lads in Plesetsk live in a different world to those in Roskosmos, and the nonsense that has plagued Baikonour and even Vostochny doesn't occur in the military-run Northern Cosmodrome.

I can't remember the last failure to launch of a military satellite (*).  Failed payload yes, but not a botched launch.

(*) Meridian 5 in 2011

Hole wrote:How many successful launches with russian engines were made in Amiland? We should add them to the tally. Or (to stay with the football metaphor) at least 0,5 for every launch.

Ignoring the Seppos, I still prefer to add the ESA Soyuz missions from Kourou to the Russian tally (3 this year). They may not be Russian missions but they use Soyuz and Russian launch hardware and Russian operations personnel, so I feel they should be counted (especially if the official launch tallies include private enterprise missions and failed first-steps by commercial start-ups).

Here's a good link I like to use to keep up with Russian launch, includes both military suborbital tests (ie ICBMs/SLBMs) and the ESA missions - link

What an amazing photo that is in your post... the colours on first glance look faked and colourised like some hippy trip on acid, but when you look... the visible colours are correct and the detail is fantastic...


... thanks for my new wallpaper...

Yep, hypergolics may be corrosive and carcinogenic but man do they burn beautifully. Brilliant blue with violet touches, and the shock cones are so prominent. I'll miss the Proton when she finally stops flying.

Big_Gazza wrote:Yep, hypergolics may be corrosive and carcinogenic but man do they burn beautifully. Brilliant blue with violet touches, and the shock cones are so prominent. I'll miss the Proton when she finally stops flying.

CH4 gives a nice blue flame too. So future liquid methane propellant will produce nice iridescent colours as well.

Russia’s Meteor-M satellite hit by micrometeorite

At present, the satellite has resumed controlled flight

MOSCOW, December 24. /TASS/. One of Russia’s Meteor-M satellites has become uncontrollable following an external impact, presumably a micrometeorite strike, Russia’s Roscosmos state space corporation said on its website on Tuesday.

"On December 18, 2019, an emergency situation caused by external influence (presumably, a micrometeorite) was reported on board Meteor-M (identification number 2-2) spacecraft," the space agency said. "As a result, the parameters of the spacecraft’s orbit were changed, and it entered the non-directed flight mode with high angular velocity."

After that, the spacecraft switched to energy-saving mode.

When the satellite entered the Russian ground control zone and established contact with the ground, efforts to restore its operations have been launched.

At present, the satellite has resumed controlled flight. Specialists on the ground establish regular communication and control sessions with it, receiving telemetry data and other information.

Meteor-M No.2-2, launched from the Vostochny space center in Russia’s Far East on July 5, is a weather satellite designed by VNIIEM Corporation. It will become part of the space system of hydrometeorological and oceanographic support Meteor-3M and the space system based on it. The first vehicle in the series, Meteor-M No.1, was launched on September 17, 2009. The second vehicle, Meteor-M No.2, was launched in 2014. Meteor-M No.2-1 was lost following the launch failure in 2017.

https://tass.com/science/1102815

MOSCOW, December 27. /TASS/. The Rokot rocket carrier with the Gonets-M communication satellite and a military satellite has been launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrone, the press service of the Russian Defense Ministry told reporters on Friday.



"On Friday, December 27, at 2:11 a.m. Moscow time, the combat crew of the Space Forces of the Aerospace Forces have launched from the launchpad No.3 at the platform No.133 at the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region the Rokot light carrier rocket with the Gonets-M communication satellite and a military satellite of the Russian Defense Ministry," the press service said.

https://tass.com/science/1104111

Confirmation of a successful separation of Gonets payloads has apparently been issued (link):

The Ministry of Defense added that the control of the Gonets-M communication satellites was transferred to the customer of the Gonets Satellite System JSC.

22/22 for 2019, a 100% success rate for the year, and sitting at #2 on the launch tally rankings (behind China)!

Satellites delivered to orbit by Briz-KM upper stage — Russian Defense Ministry

The Russian Defense Ministry said that delivery of the spacecraft to the orbit were carried out in the routine mode

December 27. /TASS/. The Briz-KM upper stage has delivered to the orbit the military satellite and the Gonets-M communications satellite, the Russian Defense Ministry told journalists on Friday.

"The Rokot light carrier rocket that has been launched earlier today, on December 27, at 2:11 a.m. Moscow time from the Plesetsk cosmodrome (Arkhangelsk region), delivered three Gonets-M communications spacecraft and the spacecraft of the Russian Defense Ministry to the orbit at the assigned time," the ministry said.

The launch of the Rokot rocket and delivery of the spacecraft to the orbit were carried out in the routine mode, the ministry added.

The defense ministry said that JSC Gonets SatCom has assumed control over the Gonets-M satellites. "After delivery to the orbit, the control over the Gonets-M spacecraft was transferred to the operator, who will continue controlling them throughout the orbital flight," the ministry said.

The Rokot carrier rocket with the Gonets-M communication satellite and a military satellite was launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region at 2:11 a.m. on December 27 by the Russian Aerospace Forces.

This is the second launch of the Rokot rocket from Plesetsk in 2019. The previous Rokot launch was successfully carried out on August 30. Moreover, combat crews of the Space Forces of the Russian Aerospace Forces have launched six more Soyuz-2 carrier rockets from the Plesetsk cosmodrome this year.

https://tass.com/science/1104117

They have satellites they have launched that can approach and photograph and fly around satellites in orbit... now that they have it under control I would suspect this would be an excellent opportunity to launch that satellite and have a close up look at the damage.

The control signal should tell about diagnostic information the onboard systems are generating but an outside view... and practise taking an outside view would be valuable experience I would think...

It depends on the relative orbits. Too much difference between apoapsis and periapsis (and especially inclination) and the inspector satellite will use up all of its propellant on the required deltaV.

I hope not... because is this exactly the sort of thing this sort of inspection robot satellite would be designed to be used for?

I mean lets face facts if such a robot was American you would expect it is for sneaky beaky stealing other satellites from orbit and recovering them for study by the CIA and NSA, but as it is Russian I am thinking it is more likely they want to study the damage to see if it was micrometeroid damage or something else like a laser... if you know what I mean.

BTW I really don't think fuels will matter regarding such close up detailed photos... if it is powerful and energetic enough to get to space it is going to look fantastic anyway... most seem to have little to no smoke at all hiding the gory details of the rocket and the size and intensity of its rocket exhaust...

Upper stage of Soyuz rocket to be replaced after cancelled launch - source

A rocket and space industry source identified the problem as a short circuit in a cabel in one of the third stage's systems

MOSCOW, February 1. /TASS/. The upper stage of the Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket, whose January 24 launch was postponed due to a technical malfunction, will be replaced, a space industry source told TASS on Saturday.

Earlier reports said that the Soyuz carrier rocket was scheduled to deliver the Meridian satellite to the orbit on January 24, but the launch was postponed before the rocket was fuelled. A rocket and space industry source identified the problem as a short circuit in a cabel in one of the third stage's systems.

"A decision has been made to replace the upper stage," the source said.

Another source said that the launch had been rescheduled for February 14 and the date remains unchanged.

https://tass.com/science/1115327

George1 wrote:

Upper stage of Soyuz rocket to be replaced after cancelled launch - source

A rocket and space industry source identified the problem as a short circuit in a cabel in one of the third stage's systems

MOSCOW, February 1. /TASS/. The upper stage of the Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket, whose January 24 launch was postponed due to a technical malfunction, will be replaced, a space industry source told TASS on Saturday.

Earlier reports said that the Soyuz carrier rocket was scheduled to deliver the Meridian satellite to the orbit on January 24, but the launch was postponed before the rocket was fuelled. A rocket and space industry source identified the problem as a short circuit in a cabel in one of the third stage's systems.

"A decision has been made to replace the upper stage," the source said.

Another source said that the launch had been rescheduled for February 14 and the date remains unchanged.

https://tass.com/science/1115327

The reaction indicates that sabotage is likely responsible and they are not going to go through all the wiring in the hopes it is OK.
I expect them at this stage to be able to determine who was doing work on the wiring in this module and act accordingly.

They can take the sabotaged module and disassemble it to return it to service later.

Upper stage with 34 OneWeb satellites separates from carrier rocket's third stage

The Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with the Fregat-M booster and 34 OneWeb satellites was launched from the 31st platform on the Baikonur spaceport at 12:42am Moscow time

https://tass.com/science/1117479

Roscosmos to start drafting its own space program later this year

In late May 2019, Rogozin announced that Roscosmos planned to draft its own state space program, similar to the state arms procurement program that the Russian military has

MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. Russia’s state-run space corporation Roscosmos will draft its 10-year space program in 2020 and start implementing it in 2021, Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Rogozin told TASS in an interview.

In late May 2019, Rogozin announced that Roscosmos planned to draft its own state space program, similar to the state arms procurement program that the Russian military has.

"The state program of space activities should be prepared and adopted in 2020, so that the implementation of its goals for the 10-year period began in 2021," he said.

https://tass.com/science/1116081

Russia launches Soyuz rocket with Meridian-M military satellite from Plesetsk spaceport

MOSCOW, February 20. /TASS/. A Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket with a Meridian-M military communications satellite has blasted off from the Plesetsk spaceport, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Thursday.

"At 11:24 a.m. Moscow time on Thursday, February 20, a combat team of the Aerospace Force’s Space Troops successfully launched a Soyuz-2.1a medium carrier rocket with a Meridian-M satellite from launch pad No. 3 of site No. 43 at the Defense Ministry’s State Testing Cosmodrome (the Plesetsk spaceport in the Arkhangelsk Region)," the ministry said in a statement.

All of the rocket’s pre-launch operations and its liftoff proceeded in the normal mode. The ground-based equipment of the Russian orbital grouping’s spacecraft automatic control system exercised control of the Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket’s launch and flight, the statement says.

"This is the first launch of a Soyuz-2 carrier rocket from the Plesetsk spaceport in 2020. The flight tests of the Soyuz-2 carrier rocket started at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome on November 8, 2004. Over the past 15 years, 43 launches of Soyuz-2 carrier rockets of the 1A, 1B and 1V upgrade levels have been carried out from the northern cosmodrome," the ministry said.

As a source in the domestic space industry told TASS earlier, the launch was initially scheduled for January 24 but was put off due to a short circuit in the electrical equipment of the rocket’s third stage. After that, the rocket was removed from the launch pad and its faulty stage was replaced.

Russia’s Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems Company received an order in 2017 for the production of four Meridian-M military satellites, which represent second-generation communications systems intended to replace Molniya and Raduga space vehicles.

This is the kind of rocket Russia needs.. ...




is amazing how soviet union space program was so far ahead of Putin's Russia
space program today..


Another cool video..
When Russia space program was great..

Vann7 wrote:is amazing how soviet union space program was so far ahead of Putin's Russia
space program today..

The USSR had far more resources at their disposal than the Russian fed does today, and they were spending themselves into the ground and neglecting their civilian economy. Putins Russia isn't doing that so what they do is sustainable (unlike the USSR whose advanced programs collapsed into dust once Yeltsin took over and implemented his US masters nefarious program...).

You need to grow up son.

Big_Gazza wrote:

Vann7 wrote:is amazing how soviet union space program was so far ahead of Putin's Russia
space program today..

The USSR had far more resources at their disposal than the Russian fed does today, and they were spending themselves into the ground and neglecting their civilian economy. Putins Russia isn't doing that so what they do is sustainable (unlike the USSR whose advanced programs collapsed into dust once Yeltsin took over and implemented his US masters nefarious program...).

You need to grow up son.

Please do not feed the troll. His lie omits the fact that Russia has developed new rockets and is retiring the USSR era models.
This includes the Soyuz and the Proton. As for the Buran and Energyia only a racist POS troll would pin the blame for their demise
on Putin. Putin arrived on the scene in 1999. Energyia and Buran were defunct in 1991. The blame belongs to Yeltsin and his
NATzO backers.

By any objective metric, the Russian space program surviving and advancing in spite of the 60% GDP contraction under Yeltsin is
a miracle. The Great Depression saw a 25% contraction of the US GDP. So Russia's technological and industrial capability survived
a super-depression. The decline was similar to that during WWII due to physical destruction by the eastern front rolling over
most of European part of the USSR/Russia which was the most developed. By contrast, the USA doubled its GDP during WWII since
it never saw any actual war on its soil and was busy selling oil to the Nazis.

Let the resident troll eat some yanqui sh*t.

Boeing's recent failure to dock the Starliner module with the ISS was due to gross errors in the programming of the module.
This is totally pathetic. How can they launch with hack code? May as well just blow up the rocket on the launchpad.

Recall the 737 Max as another hack code fail. And Putin is supposedly overseeing some decline of Russia's aerospace
industry. Get f*cked you loser trolls.