On the Baikonur cosmodrome, planned activities on preparing for the launch of the MS-20 Progress Cargo Ship. Earlier, the echelon with the blocks of the “Soyuz-2.1a” missile blocks from the driveway was served in the installation and test case of the site No. 112.
On Monday, January 31, 2022, their unloading began. In accordance with the work schedule, two days will last, then the carrier missile blocks will be translated into storage mode. All technological operations are performed by specialists of the South Space Center (branch of the center of exploitation of the objects of the ground space infrastructure) and the Progress Rocket and Space Center (included in the state corporation “Roskosmos”). In order to prevent the proliferation of coronavirus infection, all activities take place with strict compliance with all epidemiological norms.
Recall that the Soyuz-2 series missiles are designed on the basis of the Soyuz-y media rocket. In the Soyuz-2 carrier missiles, advanced motor installations and modern control systems and measurements were applied, which significantly increased the technical and operational characteristics of missiles.
In step 1a, a unified carrier “Soyuz-2.1a” was created for various types of head blocks with diameters of head fairing up to 4.11 m. The carrier rocket is characterized by increased accuracy of the elimination and increased weight of payloads in low orbits by improving the management system and motor installations I and II steps.
Start of the Soyuz-2.1a carrier missile with the MS-20 Progress Cargo Ship scheduled on June 3 at 12:33 Moscow time from the starting complex “East” Baikonur cosmodrome.