Russia launched Glonass maritime satellite

Russia's Soyuz-2.1B rocket carrying Glonass maritime satellite was launched into orbit this morning (3.10), AFP quoted Russian Defense Ministry sources as saying.

This is the first Russian Soyuz rocket launch since the failure of bringing the Progress M-12M transport ship to the International Space Station (ISS) with Soyuz-U boosters in late August.

A series of Russian Soyuz rocket launchers - (Photo: AFP)

According to Russian Air Force spokesman Colonel Alexei Zolotukhin, the Soyuz-2.1B rocket leaves the launch pad at 0: 15 am on 3.10 (Russian time, ie 3 hours 15 minutes on the same day as Vietnam time), at the launch station Plesetsk pillar, about 800km south of Moscow.

Earlier, the Glonass satellite was expected to be put into orbit by the end of August, but two consecutive failures within a week of Russian missile launches had delayed the mission.

On August 18, a Proton-M rocket was unable to put the advanced Express AM-4 satellite into orbit and only six days later (August 24), the Soyuz-U boosters failed in the turn. the introduction of the Progress M-12M transport ship to the International Space Station (ISS).

The two consecutive failures of the space industry left Russia suspending all of its missile launches to investigate the cause. According to the Special Investigation Commission, the satellite and spacecraft are unable to reach orbit due to a problem with the rocket's fuel transfer unit.

According to RIA Novosti , the $ 152.2 million Glonass satellite, which features the US Global Positioning System (GPS), is designed for use in both military and civilian purposes.