New Russian navigation satellite now in orbit

A Fregat booster successfully delivered a Glonass-K navigational satellite into its designated orbit, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Oct. 10. Glonass-K No. 17L is the fifth K satellite to join the constellation.

“A Soyuz-2.1b medium-class carrier rocket that blasted off at 05:52 a.m. Moscow time on October 10 from the Plesetsk spaceport in the Arkhangelsk Region successfully delivered a Russian Glonass-K navigational satellite into the target orbit at the designated time,” the ministry said in a statement.

Liftoff and the delivery into the designated orbit proceeded in normal mode, the ministry said, and the ground-based facilities of Russia’s Aerospace Forces assumed control.

“The Russian Glonass-K navigational space vehicle launched on Monday, October 10, from the Plesetsk spaceport by a combat team of the Space Troops of the Aerospace Forces was delivered into the target orbit at the designated time and placed under the control of the ground-based facilities of the Titov Main Testing Space Center of the Aerospace Forces’ Space Troops,” the statement said.

Stable telemetry communications have been established and are being maintained with the satellite. The space vehicle’s onboard systems are operating in normal mode, the ministry said.

The Glonass-K is a third-generation satellite of the Russian global navigation satellite system (Glonass). The satellite was engineered and manufactured by the Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems Company (part of Russia’s State Space Corporation Roscosmos). The satellite was developed to replace the Glonass-M family of space vehicles.

Photo: Roscosmos