LAUNCH TIME | July 7, 2022 - 11:05 |
LAUNCH PROVIDER | Roscosmos |
CUSTOMER | Russian Space Forces |
ROCKET | Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat |
LAUNCH SITR | Pad 43/4, Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia |
PAYLOAD MASS | 935 Kg |
DESTINATION | Orbita Terrestre Media, 19.100 Km |
LANDING SITE | The Soyuz STB rocket cannot land |
WEATHER | - |
Roscosmos will launch, on behalf of the Russian Space Force, one of the GLONASS global positioning satellites (GLONASS-K1) on a Soyuz 2.1b launch vehicle in medium Earth orbit.
GLONASS
The GLONASS system is a system that uses satellites in earth orbit for terrestrial navigation, equivalent to the American Global Positioning System (GPS), the European Galileo system and the Chinese Beidou system.
There are 25 satellites currently in orbit, of which 22 are in service and the rest under maintenance. The satellites currently used are part of three different generations: GLONASS (original), GLONASS-M and GLONASS-K.
Glonass K-1
Unlike older generations of satellites, Glonass K-1 (and all those belonging to this generation) is designed to work in a vacuum (Previous versions of GLONASS were pressurized inside). This change reduces the mass of a single satellite to 935 kg.
Soyuz 2.1b
The Soyuz rocket has been the main vehicle of the Soviet / Russian space program since 1966. The Soyuz version currently used for most satellite launches is a four-stage vehicle, consisting of:
4 side boosters (first stage);
1 central stage (second stage);
1 upper stage (third stage);
A further optional upper stage called Fregat.
The Side Boosters Each side booster has a single RD-107A engine, which runs on liquid oxygen and RP-1. Each engine has four combustion chambers and four nozzles.
When separating the boosters follow a well-known pattern: these detach and rotate outward. This pattern is known as the "Korolev cross".
The Core stage The Core stage is equipped with an RD-108A engine which, like the RD-107A engine, has four combustion chambers and four nozzles and is powered by LOX and RP-1. The engine contains four attitude thrusters, used for three-axis flight control once the side boosters have separated.
The third stage The third stage uses an RD-0124 motor, this closed loop motor works with LOX and RP-1.
The Fregat upper stage The Fregat upper stage is an autonomous and flexible stage designed to function as an orbital vehicle. The additional stage has its own guidance, navigation, attitude control, tracking and telemetry systems. Fregat uses the S5.92 engine which can be restarted up to 50 times in flight.
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