Today, May 28, 2021, at 20:38:39 Moscow time, the starting calculations of subsidiaries of the State Corporation “Roskosmos” on the Soyuz-2.1B launch vehicle was launched on the Soyuz-2.1B acceleration unit and 36 new ONEWEB spacecraft within mission number 47. At 20:48 Moscow time, the accelerated block separated from the third stage of the carrier on the subborital trajectory.
According to the receiving telemetry information, the start, separation of the steps and the orbital block passed in normal mode. After that, the Overclocking block “Frigate” continued the removal of 36 devices to the target circular orbit with a height of 450 kilometers. During the upcoming 3 hours 40 minutes, the OneWeb satellites in accordance with the flight cyclicogram will be sequentially separated (four satellite groups) from the Russian “Profiter” production of the SA Science and Production Association Lavochkina (part of the state corporation “Roskosmos”).
This start has become the fourth fully commercial from the Eastern cosmodrome, implemented under the Contracts of Glavkosmos (enters Roscosmos) with the European Promotion of Arianespace Startup Services (Operator of the OneWeb spacecraft using the Soyuz-2) carrier missile) Starsem for an Operator of an innovative satellite group of OneWeb from a Russian cosmodrome.
The Soyuz-2 carrier rocket is developed on the basis of the Soyuz-y serial missile. Her head developer is the Rocket and Space Center “Progress” (Samara, enters Roscosmos). On the Navy-2 media missiles, advanced motor installations and modern control systems and measurements were applied, which significantly increases technical and operational characteristics. Constructively “Soyuz-2”, as well as all the missiles of the Soyuz family, made under the scheme of longitudinal transverse division of rocket steps. In combination with the Frigate acceleration unit, it is designed to launch spacecraft for near-earth orbits of various heights and inclinations, including geo-and-geostationary orbits, as well as flying paths.
On the first and second stages of the carrier, liquid rocket engines of RD-107A and RD-108A are used, on the third – four-chamber RD-0124. With the help of RD-107 and RD-108, the development of the Scientific and Production Association “Energomash” named after Academician V.P. Glushko (Khimki, enters Roscosmos) reliably ensures the implementation of the domestic program of manned flights and the withdrawal of spacecraft. To date, work was carried out on the modernization of RD-107 basic engines for the first stage and RD-108 engines for the second stage – 18 modifications for various programs.