If everything goes according to the plan, in 2007 the Russian Space Forces will launch five military satellites in five launches:
1. Parus communication satellite. Launcher - Kosmos-3M. The satellite will be launched from Plesetsk in the first quarter of the year. It appears that this launch was initially planned for November 2006.
2. Tselina-2 electronic intelligence satellite. Zenit-2 launcher, from Baykonur in the second quarter of 2007. This launch was also scheduled for November 2006.
3. Persona optical reconnaissance satellite. Soyuz-2.1b launcher, from Plesetsk, the third quarter of 2007. This will be a double maiden flight - the first Soyuz-2.1b flight from Plesetsk (it flew from Baykonur before) and the first Persona spacecraft. The spacecraft was reported to weight about seven tonnes. It will carry a new telescope/sensor package, that is being developed at LOMO.
4. Kobalt-M optical reconnaissance satellite. Soyuz-U launcher, from Plesetsk, date to be determined. This is another new-generation optical reconnaissance satellite. Unlike Persona, Kobalt-M has flown before; last time - in May 2006.
5. Oko early-warning satellite of the US-KS system. Molniya-M launcher, from Plesetsk, date to be determined. The satellite will be deployed on highly-elliptical orbit. It will join the early-warning system, which currently includes three satellites - two HEO and one GEO.
The 2007 acquisition plan called for four new launchers and satellites, but some satellites are carried over from 2006 and it is possible that some that will be purchased in 2007 will not be launched until 2008 (for example, a launch of a new Liana electronic reconnaissance satellite, a follow on to the US-PU and Tselina-2, is scheduled in 2008).
To these five launches we should add six new Glonass-M satellites that will be deployed in two launches from Baykonur - in September 2007 (Proton-K/DM-2) and December 2007 (Proton-M/DM-2). These satellites are now counted as dual-purpose and, as the word has it, may soon start getting real names, not generic "Cosmos" designations.
A few more launches seem to be worth mentioning - a Dnepr (i.e. SS-18) launch from Dombarovskyy on April 19, 2007 with a Genesis-2 spacecraft, two more Dnepr launches from Baykonur, three (!) Kosmos-3M launches from Plesetsk with SAR-Lupe spacecrafts (it's the Russian Space Forces helping Germany build its military presence in space), and possible launch of a Shtil-2.1 (based on R-29RM/SS-N-23 SLBM) with two satellites.
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The Soyuz-2.1B already flew with the COROT spacecraft from Baikonur. It will be a first for Plestek to service this subversion though.
Thank you. I corrected the text.
Pavel, is Oko similar to Cosmos early-warning satellite?
Cosmos is a generic name for military satellites. All Oko satellites are "Cosmos".
Thanks Pavel. As I know Russian Space Forces cancelled their earlier plan to launch Zenit launcher from Plesetsk. Is it correct? If true then what is the reason behind that? And what is the prospect of Angara heavy rocket?
I haven't been following the Zenit story, so cannot say anything. As for Angara, as far as I understand, the project is very much alive, although it will take a some time before the launcher is operational.
Thank you.
What is the difference between Arkon and Persona? Does the Persona satellite simply represent the Arkon sensor equipment installed on a new spacecraft? Is Arkon now considered a dead-end? Both return images via digital datalink, correct? How does the new Kobalt version fit into this picture, is it simply a back-up to safeguard against a failure with the newer, more advanced systems or does it provide other capabilities that the digital satellites can't match?
All very confusing, some clarification would be much appreciated :)
The unfinished Zenit pads in Plesetsk are at the moment under reconstruction for Angara. Test launches of that booster will start in 2010. The Angara booster will be able to transport light to heavy payloads in all kinds of orbits and will only be launched from Plesetsk. It will succeed the Zenit and Proton launch vehicles. The first stage will also be used for the Korean KSLV, which will have its maiden flight in 2008.
The Zenit will have its future mainly in the private Sea Launch/Land Launch consortium, I think as soon the Angara is available it will not been used by the Russian forces any more, because except the engines and the upper stage it is an Ukrainian product.
The Angara will use an engine derived from the Zenit´s RD-171.
http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/angara11.htm
http://www.russianspaceweb.com/angara.html
http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/zenit2.htm
http://www.russianspaceweb.com/zenit.html
I wish I had more information on Persona and Arkon. As for Kobalt-M, I don't think it's a "backup". It probably has a different mission.
Does anybody know when will Russia launch new geostationary communication satellite (RADUGA type or else). Because last launch of this type was 2004. Raduga type probably don't have service life more then 3-5 years.
Also what happen with strela-3 satellites, because no launches were 2006 and probably no in 2007.
Does anybody know, Do russian army use communication satellite of "EXPRESS" type or "Yamal 100", "Yamal 200" satellite from GAZPROM ("GASCOM"). because these satellite have service life of about 10-12 years. But, some of them use equipment made by France and Japan.
Information on upcoming Russian launches is regularly posted on the nasaspaceflight forum. Follow this link to get to the thread.
Thanks Martin. Can you give some detail of Russian made Upper Stage(US) being used by the US heavy rocket?
Parimal:
The US doesn´t use Russian upper stages. Delta IV and Atlas V do use the Centaur cryogenic upper stage. But the Atlas V use the Zenit derived RD-180 engine in its first stage. Its mainly the same engine, but the original RD-171 of the Zenit has four combusting chambers while the RD-180 has just two. Thats the new time, Russian rocket engines launch US military satellites.
India uses a Russian built upper stage on its GSLV launcher, but they will replace it by a homemade cryogenic stage this year.
Martin
Thanks for the information Martin.
If Pavel permits, I like to discuss a different matter here. Some people around the world raise one question: what will happen to the ISS after 2010 when NASA stops their Shuttle mission? New NASA manned spacecraft won’t be available before 2014, may need extra time as well! And the Russian are also not interested in Kliper shuttle. Soyuz (maybe digital Soyuz) will be the only available manned spacecraft in that period. Although I tried to follow the recent meeting of ISS participants in Paris but I couldn’t find any information regarding the manned mission to the ISS after 2010. Does anyone have any concrete information about the manned mission to the ISS and its future after 2010?
A Sea Launch Zenit-3SL exploded today with a commercial communication satellite on the launch plattform in the pacific ocean. This will surely have an impact on the planned Zenit-2 launch with Tselina-2.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/sealaunch/nss8/
About ISS:
Energija announced that they will double their Soyuz-TMA production so they can replace the shuttle easily. Also the European ATV tranpsort vehicle will have its maiden launch this year, and the Japanese HTV will follow soon, so there is enough tranport capability when the shuttle retires.
Martin