After the completion of the separation and separation of the spacecraft, the Fregat upper stage will be taken out of orbit, and the fireproof elements will be flooded in the uninhabited part of the Pacific Ocean, Roscosmos reported
MOSCOW, April 26. /TASS/. All 36 British OneWeb satellites launched from the Vostochny cosmodrome on a Soyuz-2.1 b rocket have been successfully launched into their calculated orbits using the Fregat upper stage. This was announced by the General Director of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin in his Telegram channel.
"8 more spacecraft have been separated (spacecraft-approx. TASS) (a total of 36 spacecraft separated). The mission is successful. Congratulations! " he wrote.
As specified in Roscosmos, all satellites are normally placed in target orbits and taken under the control of the customer. "After the completion of the separation and separation of the spacecraft, the Fregat upper stage will be de-orbited, and the non-combustible elements will be flooded in the uninhabited part of the Pacific Ocean," the state corporation explained.
The Soyuz-2.1 b rocket launched from the Vostochny cosmodrome at 01: 14 Moscow time. The launch of the vehicles by the upper stage took about four hours. The satellites were separated in several stages.
The emblem of this OneWeb satellite launch depicts Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in honor of the 60th anniversary of his flight into space, which was celebrated worldwide on April 12. This is the second launch from Vostochny in 2021 and the third launch of OneWeb vehicles from this cosmodrome.
The first six OneWeb satellites went into orbit from the Kourou cosmodrome on a Soyuz-ST rocket on February 28, 2019. From Baikonur on February 7, 2020, 34 spacecraft were launched into space, and on March 21 of the same year-the same number. For the first time, OneWeb satellites were launched from the Vostochny cosmodrome in December 2020. 36 vehicles were withdrawn. Another launch took place on March 25, 2021 from the Vostochny cosmodrome.
OneWeb's updated agreement with Arianespace (the French company that operates the launches) provides for the launch of 16 Russian Soyuz rockets from the Kourou, Vostochny and Baikonur cosmodromes in 2020-2022. Each launch will allow you to put into orbit from 34 to 36 vehicles. On April 9, Rogozin told reporters that the first-generation OneWeb system will be created in late 2022-early 2023.
