Russia successfully delivers navigational satellite delivered into designated orbit

A Fregat booster successfully delivered a Glonass-K navigational satellite into the designated orbit, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on October 10.

"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, TASS reports.

The liftoff of the Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket and the delivery of the Glonass-K navigational satellite into the designated orbit by the Fregat booster proceeded in normal mode, the ministry said.

GLONASS-K is the latest satellite design intended as a part of the Russian GLONASS radio-based satellite navigation system. Developed by ISS Reshetnev (Information Satellite Systems Reshetnev) and first launched on 26 February 2011, it is a substantial improvement of the previous GLONASS-M second-generation satellites, having a longer lifespan and better accuracy.

The ground-based facilities of the Russian Aerospace Forces assumed control of the Glonass-K navigational satellite delivered into the designated orbit, the ministry reported.

"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 says.

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.