ARIANESPACE / ROSCOSMOS - OneWeb Mission poster.
May 28, 2021
Soyuz-2 rocket carrying OneWeb liftoff from Vostochny (Archive image)
Today, May 28, 2021, at 20:38:39 Moscow time, the launch crews of the subsidiaries of the State Corporation Roscosmos at the Vostochny cosmodrome launched the Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with the Fregat upper stage and 36 new spacecraft of the company OneWeb as part of mission 47. At 20:48 Moscow time, the upper stage separated from the third stage of the carrier on a suborbital trajectory.
A successful launch of the Soyuz-2 rocket took place on Vostochny
According to the received telemetry information, the launch, separation of the stages and the orbital block were carried out in the normal mode. After that, the Fregat upper stage continued to launch 36 vehicles into a target circular orbit with an altitude of 450 kilometers. Over the next 3 hours and 40 minutes, OneWeb satellites, in accordance with the flight sequence, will be sequentially separated (in groups of four satellites) from the Russian "accelerator" produced by the S.A. Lavochkin (part of the Roscosmos State Corporation).
This launch was the fourth fully commercial from the Vostochny cosmodrome, implemented under contracts between Glavkosmos (part of Roscosmos) with the European launch services provider Arianespace (operator of OneWeb spacecraft launches using the Soyuz-2 launch vehicle) and Starsem for the operator innovative satellite constellation OneWeb from the Russian cosmodrome.
36 OneWeb
satellites on their dispenser system orbiting before their release
The Soyuz-2 launch vehicle was developed on the basis of the Soyuz-U serial rocket. Its lead developer is the Progress Rocket and Space Center (Samara, part of Roscosmos). Upgraded propulsion systems and modern control and measurement systems are used on the Soyuz-2 launch vehicles, which significantly increases their technical and operational characteristics. Structurally "Soyuz-2", like all missiles of the "Soyuz" family, is made according to the scheme of longitudinal-transverse division of rocket stages. In combination with the Fregat upper stage, it is intended for launching spacecraft into low-earth orbits of various heights and inclinations, including geo-transfer and geostationary orbits, as well as departure trajectories.
OneWeb satellite
Liquid-propellant rocket engines RD-107A and RD-108A are used at the first and second stages of the launch vehicle, and at the third stage, the four-chamber RD-0124. With the help of RD-107 and RD-108 developments of the Scientific and Production Association "Energomash" named after academician V.P. Glushko (Khimki, part of Roskosmos) reliably ensures the implementation of the domestic program of manned flights and spacecraft launch. To date, work has been carried out to modernize the basic RD-107 engines for the first stage and RD-108 engines for the second stage - 18 modifications for various programs.
Related links:
ROSCOSMOS Press Release: https://www.roscosmos.ru/31259/
RCC Progress: https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/rkc-progress/
OneWeb: https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/oneweb/
Arianespace: http://www.arianespace.com/
OneWeb website: http://www.oneweb.world/
OneWeb Satellites website: http://onewebsatellites.com/
Airbus Space website: https://www.airbus.com/space.html
Images, Video, Text, Credits: Arianespace/OneWeb/Roscosmos/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
Greetings, Orbiter.ch
