Space
16:50, 27-Dec-2018
Russian Soyuz-2.1a rocket with 28 satellites blasts off from Vostochny Cosmodrome
Updated
16:42, 30-Dec-2018
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Russia's Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket with two Kanopus-V remote sensing satellites and 26 small foreign spacecraft has been launched from the Vostochny spaceport in the Far Eastern Amur region on Thursday, Russia's Roscosmos space agency said in a statement.
The rocket was launched at 05:07 a.m. Moscow time (0207 GMT) as planned, said the statement.
The Fregat upper stage will now bring two Kanopus-V remote sensing satellites and 26 spacecraft from Germany, Japan, South Africa, Spain and the U.S. to the orbit.
Kanopus-V number five is expected to separate at 06:06 a.m. (0306 GMT), while Kanopus-V number six is planned to separate at 06:12 a.m. (0312 GMT). After this, foreign satellites will also be separated.
At 10:00 a.m. (0700 GMT), the upper stage will begin de-orbiting and will enter the atmosphere of the earth at 10:25 a.m. (0725 GMT)
This is the fourth launch from the Vostochny spaceport.
(Cover: The Soyuz spacecraft blasts off from the launchpad at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia December 27, 2018. /VCG Photo)
Source(s): Xinhua News Agency