On June 7, 2013 Russia launched a military satellite, designated Cosmos-2486. The satellite was delivered into orbit by a Soyuz-2.1b launcher, launched at 22:37:59 MSK (18:37:59 UTC) from the launch pad No. 4 of the launch complex No. 43 of the Plesetsk test site. Cosmos-2385 is an optical reconnaissance satellite of the new class of these satellites developed in Russia - Persona.
There is a very good video of the launch:
The satellite was registered by NORAD as an object 39177 (not 39178 as I reported earlier). It received international designation 2013-028A. According to NORAD data, the satellite was deployed on an orbit with an apogee of 703 km, perigee of 187 km, inclination of 98.3, and orbital period of 93.48 minutes. It is expected to perform a transfer to a sun-synchronous circular orbit with apogee of about 720 km in a few days. UPDATE: 06/10/2013:The satellite has been transferred to a nearly circular orbit 721x703 km.
This is the second Persona satellite. The first one, Cosmos-2441, launched in July 2008, reportedly failed briefly after the launch.
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Comments
According to official data the total cost of start was 10 billion rubles:
http://ria.ru/defense_safety/20130608/942206986.html
Alexander: Yes, I've seen the number. But it's not clear what's included - the cost of this particular spacecraft or the R&D program?
Pavel:
1) If to consider that the Persona No1 failed because of space radiation, production of the Persona No2 certainly demanded additional R&D programs.
2) For comparison: Now Gazprom orders the new commercial telecommunication satellite Yamal-601 (including R&D) for ~14 billion rubles:
http://www.komtender.ru/tender/7787627
3) Two years ago Gazprom tried to order the Yamal-601 for ~3,9 billion rubles, but all refused to do it for such small money:
4) For reference: The Soyuz-2.1b launcher price is ~1 billion rubles (from 10):
http://www.bicotender.ru/tender16764527.html
Sorry for my "English". Does Russia operates radar reconnaissance satellites? If not, does exist a development program? Thanks for the informative blog.
Russian MoD published the photo report about this start:
http://мультимедиа.минобороны.рф/multimedia/photo/gallery.htm?id=10939@cmsPhotoGallery
What about 23gbit/second?
http://vif2ne.ru/nvk/forum/0/co/1502.htm
It is normal for a same type satellites? :-)