Soyuz 2 test launch a success
Posted: Tue, Nov 9, 2004, 7:58 AM ET (1258 GMT)
The first launch of the upgraded version of Russia's Soyuz rocket has been declared a success by Russian officials. The Soyuz 2-1a lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia at 1:30 pm EST (1830 GMT, 9:30 pm Moscow time) Monday, carrying a test satellite, Oblik. There were conflicting reports whether Oblik was actually placed in orbit, but Russian reports Tuesday indicated that the spacecraft reentered over the Pacific Ocean eight minutes after liftoff, as planned. The Soyuz 2 features a number of improvements over the existing booster, including a new digital control system, although planned improvements such as an enhanced third-stage engine and enlarged payload fairing will not be incorporated until the Soyuz 2-1b version, scheduled for launch in mid-2006.
The first launch of the upgraded version of Russia's Soyuz rocket has been declared a success by Russian officials. The Soyuz 2-1a lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia at 1:30 pm EST (1830 GMT, 9:30 pm Moscow time) Monday, carrying a test satellite, Oblik. There were conflicting reports whether Oblik was actually placed in orbit, but Russian reports Tuesday indicated that the spacecraft reentered over the Pacific Ocean eight minutes after liftoff, as planned. The Soyuz 2 features a number of improvements over the existing booster, including a new digital control system, although planned improvements such as an enhanced third-stage engine and enlarged payload fairing will not be incorporated until the Soyuz 2-1b version, scheduled for launch in mid-2006.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Wednesday, March 18
Firefly Aerospace looks ahead to moon missions, more launches after Alpha rocket’s return to flight
Austin (TX) American-Statesman — 7:06 am ET (1106 GMT) ESA seeks scalable VLEO platforms for satellite video
ESA — 7:06 am ET (1106 GMT) Now Open: Request for Information (RFI) for the Mid-size LEO satellite INDustrialisation (M-IND) initiative
ESA — 7:06 am ET (1106 GMT) Starlink rival SES sells ‘space bonds’ ranked lower than hybrids
Luxembourg Times — 7:04 am ET (1104 GMT) Elon Musk’s Starlink now available in UAE, says company's website
The National (UAE) — 7:02 am ET (1102 GMT) |
