Russia launched a Soyuz-2.1b rocket with three Gonets-M satellites and the first demonstration satellite of the federal Sfera project, Skif-D, from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Amur region of the Russian Far East on Saturday.
According to Roscosmos, the 3 Gonets-M satellites and the Skif-2 satellite are already in orbit.
The space agency Roscosmos specified that this is the first launch of a carrier rocket of the Soyuz-2 group, loaded with a new ecological fuel called naphthyl. It is a hydrocarbon-based fuel with polymer additives that will increase the payload carried into space and reduce harmful emissions.
Likewise, the Skif-D demonstration satellite is designed to work on new technical solutions for high-speed Internet access and the protection of the orbital frequency resource. Meanwhile, the Gonets-M satellites serve to organize mobile satellite communication, collect and transmit data from industrial and ecological monitoring sensors, as well as determine the location of moving objects.
The Sfera program is a global multifunctional communication system, announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018. It involves the launch of hundreds of communications and remote sensing satellites. Thus, within the framework of the project, 5 fleets of satellites will be launched that will provide telecommunications services, and another 5 that will provide surveillance services.
By 2030, 638 satellites are expected to be launched into orbit, including 334 communications, 249 remote sensing and 55 navigation.
Roscosmos indicated that the total weight of the four satellites carried by Soyuz-2.1b is equivalent to one ton, reports the Interfax agency.
(Taken from RT in Spanish)