Soyuz 2.1b launches the new GLONASS-M navigation satellite

Soyuz 2.1b launches the new GLONASS-M navigation satellite on November 3, 2018. Photo credit: Russian Ministry of Defense.

Russia is continuing the expansion of its GLONASS constellation with the launch, on Saturday, November 3, 2018, of a Soyuz 2.1b rocket from the Plesetsk cosmodrome located in northern Russia.

The GLONASS-M (GLONASS-M No. 757) satellite sent at altitude will now be part of the Russian satellite navigation system (GLONASS). The rocket and its payload reached the skies in the late evening at 23:17. Moscow time (20:17 GMT / 15:17 EST) from Pad 4 of Plessetsk at Site 43.

A GLONASS satellite (K). Image credit: Pavel Kolotilov

Although the flight of a navigation satellite may appear to be small potatoes, the commander of the space troops and the deputy commander of the Aerospace Force, Colonel General Alexander Golovko, participated in the flight.

One hour and twenty minutes after leaving the platform, the Russian Ministry of Defense declared the mission a success.

"On Saturday, November 3, at 23:17 Moscow time, the aerospace force's aerospace space crew successfully launched the medium-capacity Soyuz 2.1b carrier rocket with the GLONASS-M navigation spacecraft ever since. the launcher 4 on platform 43 of the Plesetsk Cosmodrome (Arkhangelsk Region), "said the Russian Ministry of Defense via the government press agency TASS.

The GLONASS-M pre-launch campaign was developed in early October with the arrival of the satellite in Plesetsk. Throughout the month, the engineers were busy doing checks and feeding the satellite operations. The launcher was fully assembled at the end of October and was deployed on the launch pad on October 31st. However, his flight could have ended much later.

On 11 October, a Soyuz-FG rocket was unable to send two crew members to the International Space Station. It is feared that the launch of GLONASS-M will slip further. The cause of this accident being considered a defective sensor, the pre-launch activities of the GLONASS-M mission have resumed their course.

This mission began with the roar of the RD-107A engines that pushed the rocket out of the platform and into the night. After a short vertical climb, the four propellers mounted on the side of the rocket were dropped after about two minutes of flight.

For Saturday's mission, the Soyuz 2.1b rocket flew in a configuration using a third Fregat-M stage. This upper floor is approximately 1.5 meters long and 3.35 meters in diameter. Its S5.92 engine is designed to operate for approximately 18 minutes.

Once this leg of the flight was completed, the main step took control of the mission and activated the launcher until it was detached about four and a half minutes after take-off.

Then the third leg started and controlled the flight for nearly seven minutes. Then, at T + 10 minutes, the upper floor of Fregat-M separated from the third floor and began its three-hour journey which resulted in the insertion of the satellite in a medium-altitude circular orbit (MEO). at an altitude of about 11,800 miles (19,000 kilometers), inclined 64.8 degrees to the equator.

When GLONASS-M No. 757 reached its targeted orbit, it received the official designation Kosmos 2529. The new satellite is expected to replace one of the GLONASS spacecraft currently in service. Russia has not revealed which of these factors will replace it.

GLONASS-M satellites, also known as Uragan-M, are the second generation of Uragan satellite designs used in the Russian GLONASS navigation system. A typical GLONASS-M spacecraft, developed by the Reshetnev Information Satellite System (ISS Reshetnev) and operated by the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces, is approximately 7.87 x 12.14 feet (2.4 meters) 3.7 meters) and has a launch mass of about 1.4 tons.

GLONASS provides real-time position and speed data to military and civilian users. All satellites are located in a medium circular orbit at an altitude of about 11,000 km (19,000 km) with an inclination of 64.77 degrees over a period of 11 hours and 15 minutes. They provide accuracy of 100 meters in the public segment and 10 to 20 meters for military purposes.

The system operates on three orbital planes, with eight satellites equidistant on each plane. A total of 24 satellites are needed to ensure global coverage, while 18 are needed to cover the territory of Russia.

As suggested by the rocket nomenclature, this version of the rocket is an improved version of an earlier design – the Soyuz 2 three-stage pitcher. The Soyuz 2.1b represents an imposing height of 46.1 meters (151 feet) and a total mass of 304,814 kilograms (672,000 pounds). It is designed to place satellites in various orbits.

So far this year, Russia has made the fifth launch of the Plesetsk Cosmodrome and the thirteenth in total since Russia.

Tagged: GLONASS Lead Stories Plesetsk Cosmodrome Russia Russian Ministry of Defense Soyuz-2.1b

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Tomasz Nowakowski

Tomasz Nowakowski is the owner of Astro Watch, one of the first blogs devoted to astronomy and science on the Internet. Nowakowski contacted SpaceFlight Insider to collaborate on the two space-related websites. The generous offer of Nowakowski has been gratefully received and the two organizations are now working to better relay important developments in space exploration.