Jerome Strach

July 13th, 2017

Installation of the Soyuz-2.1a rocket with Kanopus-V-IK on the launcher system, July 11, 2017. Photo Credit: Roscosmos

A Russian-built Soyuz-2.1a rocket will launch from Russias Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Friday, July 14, 2017, at 09:36 MSK time (06:36 GMT / 2:36 a.m. EDT). Its primary mission will be an orbiting spacecraft, known as Kanopus-V-IK, with built-in remote sensing and imaging, along with a cluster of 72 miniature satellites referred to as CubeSats. This secondary cargo will be provided by numerous nations that include Germany, Norway, theUnited States, and Japan.

The rocket is composed of an upper stage named Fregat and two core stages with four boosters strapped to the first stage. The Fregat is designed to have a long life of up to 2 days and is intended to operate autonomously without interference from Earth due to an advanced satellite navigation system. The assortment of cargo requires various orbits achieved by numerous main engine ignitions, timed perfectly to deploy the different satellites several hundred miles above Earth. Upon the release of the multiple satellites, the Fregat will orient itself for an Indian Ocean re-entry that should occur several hours after launch for a safe splashdown.

The Kanopus-V-IK satellite is a Russian government built spacecraft that comes in at 1,043 pounds (473 kilograms) is designed to monitor man-made and natural disasters including severe weather events. Furthermore, it can be used to monitor forest fires with a focus area of 25 m2, along with larger emissions of pollutants discharged into the environment. Thecapability of monitoring land use is an additional benefit allowing some benefit to the agricultural industry, and finally, topographical observations allow for the improved mapping of terrain.

Kanopus-V-IK with its solar arrays extended. Photo Credit: Roscosmos

The hardware consists of various imaging tools that allow for this observational functionality. Acomplex of target equipment (CCA) for the Kanopus-V-IK includes the following:

The secondary cargo consists of various designs and sizes provided by numerous entities from all over the world. Planet Labs(formerly Cosmogia, Inc.) is located in San Francisco,California, and they will have 48 additional Dove CubeSats on board this flight. Another San Francisco company, Spire Global, will also be putting aboard several of their Lemur satellites designed for weather observation.

LEFT: Soyuz-2.1a payload stack prior to Kanopus-V-IK being mounted on top. RIGHT: Kanopus-V-IK being mounted on the payload stack. Photos Credit: Roscosmos

Various students attending University in Germany will also be watching the launch that holds two satellites of theirs, one a rather heavy 265-pound (120 kg) Flying Laptop spacecraft from Stuttgarts Institute of Space Systems.

TechnoSat will be launching technology that helps to investigate and detect strikes of tiny space debris that often occurs where spacecraft are most vulnerable their solar panels. From theTechnical University of Berlin, this experiment will be funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

Additionally, there will be five Russian CubeSats as part of the secondary cargo, all of which will be deployed from a Dutch companys QuadPack deploying system designed by Innovative Solutions in Space.

The Soyuz-2.1a rocket with Kanopus-V-IK being transported to the launch pad, July 11, 2017. Photo Credit: Roscosmos

The Soyuz-2.1a rocket with Kanopus-V-IK being transported to the launch pad, July 11, 2017. Photo Credit: Roscosmos.

The Soyuz-2.1a rocket with Kanopus-V-IK being transported to the launch pad, July 11, 2017. Photo Credit: Roscosmos

The Soyuz-2.1a rocket with Kanopus-V-IK being transported to the launch pad, July 11, 2017. Photo Credit: Roscosmos.

The Soyuz-2.1a rocket with Kanopus-V-IK being erected onto the launch pad, July 11, 2017. Photo Credit: Roscosmos

Underside view of installation of the Soyuz-2.1a rocket with Kanopus-V-IK on the launcher system, July 11, 2017. Photo Credit: Roscosmos.

Installation of the Soyuz-2.1a rocket with Kanopus-V-IK on the launcher system, July 11, 2017. Photo Credit: Roscosmos

Tagged: Baikonur Cosmodrome CubeSats Kanopus-V-IK Lead Stories Roscosmos Soyuz-2-1a

Jerome Strach has worked within the Silicon Valley community for 20 years including software entertainment and film. Along with experience in software engineering, quality assurance, and middle management, he has long been a fan of aerospace and entities within that industry. A voracious reader, a model builder, and student of photography and flight training, most of his spare time can be found focused on launch events and technology advancements including custom mobile app development. Best memory as a child is building and flying Estes rockets with my father. @Romn8tr

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Soyuz-2.1a to launch assortment of satellite cargo - SpaceFlight Insider