MOSCOW, December 16 Soyuz-2.1b rocket with Fregat upper stage and Arktika-M hydrometeorological satellite ” No. 2 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the launch is broadcast by Roscosmos.
9 minutes 22 seconds after the launch, the space warhead – the upper stage with the satellite, will separate from the third stage of the rocket. After this, three starts of the Fregat engine should take place, and 4 hours 44 minutes after launch it will place the device into a highly elliptical orbit.
During the operation of the satellite, the perigee of its orbit (the closest point to the Earth) will vary from 600 to three thousand kilometers, and the apogee is from 37.4 to 39.8 thousand kilometers. The device weighing 2077 kilograms is designed for an active life of seven years.
“Arktika-M” No. 1 was launched on February 28, 2021 and put into operation on September 3 of the same year. Two more satellites should appear in the system by 2031. In addition, in 2026, the design of the new generation of Arktika-MP satellites will begin.
The Arktika-M satellites operate in an elliptical orbit with an inclination of 63.3 degrees and at the working site they see the Arctic region, including the North Sea path. They are equipped with instruments for obtaining images of clouds and surfaces in the visible and infrared ranges, monitoring and forecasting solar flares, radiation conditions and the geomagnetic field.
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