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Russia has launched the Meridian-M n°20L satellite tv for pc onboard a Soyuz 2.1a rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia. The launch lifted off at 12:48:22 UTC certain for a really extremely elliptical Molniya orbit of 900 x 39,000 km, with an inclination of 65°.
This type of orbit permits the satellite tv for pc to stay over a sure area for about eight hours at a time, which helps to supply communications to areas which might be very north or very south of the equator, as these could be troublesome to serve utilizing geostationary satellites. The orbit is known as after the Molniya satellite tv for pc constellation, launched beginning in 1964, that’s changed by these Meridian satellites.
The payload is the two,100 kg Meridian-M n°20L, which is a part of the Meridian next-generation telecommunications satellite tv for pc, developed by Russia. It’s used for each civil and navy functions, primarily to permit communications and supply uplink for ships, planes, and different automobiles working within the Arctic Ocean and Siberia. The satellites are developed and constructed by the JSC Info Satellite tv for pc Programs Reshetnev.
Whereas the Meridian-M community does present assist for the Russian navy, the timing of this launch is just not associated to the present conflict in Ukraine. The deployment of the Meridian-M constellation has been underway since 2019, and the general Meridian community since 2006.
In the long run, the system is deliberate to interchange the previous Molniya communication satellites, in addition to the Parus knowledge relay satellites. They not solely present an extended lifespan per satellite tv for pc of seven years but in addition can carry three transponders and have the next energy provide of three kW. The transponders can work in several frequency bands and are most probably saved in a pressurized a part of the satellite tv for pc bus. The facility is provided by two deployable photo voltaic arrays.
The primary Meridian spacecraft was launched in December 2006 on the identical sort of rocket. Since then, 9 extra, together with this launch, had been launched on the Soyuz. The primary launch was one in every of three failures that occurred to this point within the operations of the constellation, because the satellite tv for pc malfunctioned in orbit after simply two and half years, solely about one-third of its deliberate operational timeline. The producer claims that house particles was the difficulty that brought about this malfunction.
The second launch failed due to a malfunction of the Fregat higher stage, and the fifth launch failed to achieve a steady orbit because the third stage of the Soyuz rocket failed.
The satellite tv for pc launched right now is a part of the upgraded M-series of the constellation that began with Meridian-M n°18L. After this launch, yet another upgraded M-series satellite tv for pc is deliberate to launch later this 12 months.
In right now´s launch, the Soyuz-2.1a rocket was used. It may possibly elevate as much as 7,020 kg into low Earth orbit (LEO) and launched all earlier satellites of the constellation as properly. At this time’s launch additionally featured the Fregat higher stage for added capabilities to deploy the payload into the designated orbit.
Soyuz itself has three phases. The 4 boosters outdoors of the core stage stand 19.6 meters tall every, with a diameter of two.68 meters. Empty, they mass 3,784 kg every, and for launch, they’ve over 39,000 kg of RP-1 and LOX added to gasoline the RD-107A engines, of which every of the 4 boosters has one with 4 combustion chambers every. For Soyuz, the aspect boosters are known as the primary stage, whereas the middle core is known as the second stage.
The RD-107A gas-generator engine produces 939 kN at sea degree with a particular impulse of 263.3 seconds. The engine module on the backside of every of the booster plenty 1,190 kg.
A couple of minutes after launch, the 4 boosters are separated from the middle core and spin away from the rocket, typically known as the Korolev cross after the soviet designer Korolev. The core stage, which is also ignited at floor degree, continues firing and is powered by a single RD-108A that produces 792.41 kN of thrust with a particular impulse of 257.7 seconds. The core itself is 27.10 meters excessive with a diameter of two.95 meters. It plenty about 100,000 kg at launch.
The second stage is jettisoned from the third stage in a “sizzling staging” occasion, wherein the third stage has already ignited with the second stage continues to be related to it. That is to ensure that the acceleration of the second stage helps to settle the propellant on the backside of the third stage for ignition.
The third stage is 6.7 meters excessive with a diameter of two.66 meters. It plenty 25,400 kg absolutely fueled and is powered by LOX and RP-1, simply as the primary two phases are. In distinction to the Soyuz-2.1b, which makes use of the upgraded RD-0124 for elevated payload capabilities, the two.1a makes use of the RD-0110 engine. It gives 298 kN of thrust with 326 seconds of particular impulse.
On this launch, the non-compulsory Fregat-M higher stage was additionally featured. It’s 1.5 meters excessive with a diameter of three.35 meters and is used to spice up the efficiency of the Soyuz and supply excessive vitality orbit capabilities for heavy payloads. It may be reignited as much as seven occasions and, with its S5.92 engine, gives 18.85 kN of thrust with a particular impulse of 333.2 seconds.
The Plesetsk Cosmodrome, far north of Moscow, was opened in 1957 and at first used to launch and take a look at ICBMs. At this time it’s used to launch the Soyuz and Angara rocket households. It was beforehand used for the Cosmos 2553 mission this February.
(Lead picture: a Soyuz rocket launches from Plesetsk with the Cosmos 2553 spacecraft in February 2022.)
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