Russian military satellite launched into wrong orbit
Posted: Wed, Feb 2, 2011, 8:03 AM ET (1303 GMT)
A Russian rocket launched a military satellite Tuesday, but apparently placed the spacecraft into the wrong orbit. The Rockot vehicle lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia Tuesday at 9 am EST (1400 GMT) Tuesday, carrying the GEO-IK 2 satellite, but ground controllers could not initially contact the spacecraft after entering orbit. The Russian military did later establish contact with the satellite after discovering that the satellite was not in its planned circular orbit at an altitude of 1,000 kilometers, but instead in an elliptical orbit with a perigee of 330 km. Officials speculate that a problem with the Rockot's upper stage prevented the spacecraft from reaching its planned orbit, and are now looking into what the spacecraft can do in its current orbit. The satellite was the first of two geodetic spacecraft intended to perform measurements of the Earth's shape and gravitational field.
A Russian rocket launched a military satellite Tuesday, but apparently placed the spacecraft into the wrong orbit. The Rockot vehicle lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia Tuesday at 9 am EST (1400 GMT) Tuesday, carrying the GEO-IK 2 satellite, but ground controllers could not initially contact the spacecraft after entering orbit. The Russian military did later establish contact with the satellite after discovering that the satellite was not in its planned circular orbit at an altitude of 1,000 kilometers, but instead in an elliptical orbit with a perigee of 330 km. Officials speculate that a problem with the Rockot's upper stage prevented the spacecraft from reaching its planned orbit, and are now looking into what the spacecraft can do in its current orbit. The satellite was the first of two geodetic spacecraft intended to perform measurements of the Earth's shape and gravitational field.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Apex becomes billion-dollar company with $200 million Series D round
Posted: Sun, Sep 14 4:09 AM ET (0809 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Tuesday, September 16
Firefly Aerospace to Announce Second Quarter 2025 Financial Results on September 22, 2025
Firefly Aerospace — 6:45 am ET (1045 GMT) Starlink hits capacity in Nigeria’s largest cities, raising questions about Musk’s Africa ambitions
Business Insider — 6:43 am ET (1043 GMT) Colorado Springs looks to rebound after Trump pulls Space Command to Huntsville
Washington Examiner — 6:42 am ET (1042 GMT) Colorado’s Republican U.S. representatives decline to fight Trump on Space Command, even as they risk voter fallout
Colorado Sun — 6:42 am ET (1042 GMT) Sen. John Hoeven upon satellite launch: ‘We expect this mission to continue growing’
Grand Forks (ND) Herald — 6:41 am ET (1041 GMT) |
