TSAMTO, March 31. The launch of two Condor-FKA Earth observation radar satellites has been postponed for 2022 and 2023, according to Roscosmos materials published on the state procurement website.
As RIA Novosti reminds, initially the launch of the first "Condor-FKA" was planned in 2018, but then it was repeatedly postponed. In November 2020, the general director of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, said that its launch is scheduled for the end of 2021.
In February 2021, a source in the rocket and space industry told RIA Novosti that the launch of the first Condor-FKA could be postponed to 2022.
In the materials on public procurement, it is noted that the preparation and launch of the first device, as well as its flight tests, are now scheduled from March 15, 2022 to May 30, 2023, and the second device – from March 15, 2023 to May 30, 2024.
The launches of both Condor-FKA satellites are planned to be carried out by Soyuz-2.1 a launch vehicles with Fregat upper stages from the Vostochny cosmodrome.
Condor is a series of small Earth remote sensing satellites developed by NPO Mashinostroyeniya for the Russian Defense Ministry and foreign customers. The tasks of the satellites include mapping the Earth's surface, environmental monitoring and exploration of natural resources. In 2013-2014, two Condor satellites were launched.
The upgraded version of the "Condor" in the interests of Roscosmos - "Condor-FKA" - will differ from its predecessor with a new radar, which will increase the shooting resolution from 1 m per pixel to 0.4 m per pixel, as well as a new system for collecting and transmitting information. In 2025, the upgraded Condor-FKA-M spacecraft is expected to be launched into orbit, RIA Novosti reports.