On Monday, August 16, 2021, the “Soyuz-2.1b” launch vehicle was taken out of the “Soyuz-2.1b” rocket launch vehicle with an overclocking unit “Frigate” and 34 satellite spacecraft of the OneWeb. Currently, the space for space is installed on the starting site No. 31 of the Baikonur cosmodrome. It is scheduled for Friday, August 20, at 01:23 Moscow time.
Present works are carried out as part of the contracts of the company “Glavkosmos” (a subsidiary of the Roscosmos State Corporation) with the European Promotion of Arianespace Start Services (ONEWB Space Actors using the Soyuz-2) carrier rocket), and Starsem. These work conducts a joint calculation of representatives of foreign customers and enterprises of Roscosmos: RCC “Progress”, NPO Lavochkina, Cenni and Glavkosmos.
Currently, specialists in the cosmodrome perform technological operations under the first-day program. Present tests of systems and aggregates of the Soyuz-2.1B media missile units are carried out, the interaction of on-board equipment and ground equipment is checked.
Now the OneWeb satellites group at a low near-earth orbit has 254 spacecraft, it is planned to launch hundreds of others. The upcoming start should bring the number of OneWeb devices at an near-earth orbit up to 288. OneWeb low-bit spacecraft are designed to provide land consumers with high-speed Internet.
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The Soyuz-2 carrier rocket is developed on the basis of the Soyuz-y serial missile. The head developer is the Progress Rocket and Space Center (Samara, enters Roscosmos). On the launch vehicles of the Soyuz-2 family, improved motor installations and modern control systems and measurements are applied, which 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.