Cosmos-2533

Launch data: Designation  43867 / 18107A Launch date  21 Dec 2018 - 00:20 UT (05:20 local time) Launch site  Baik, LC-81/24 Launch vehicle  Proton-M/Briz-M Mission  Military Communication Satellite type  Blagovest 13L Geostationary orbit: Perigee / Apogee  35421 x 35802 km Eccentricity   Inclination   0.2deg Period   min

Spacecraft data: Prime contractor  ISS Reshetnev Platform  Ekspress-2000 bus Operator   Mass at launch   kg Dry Mass   kg Basic shape   Dimension (m)   Equipment   Solar array  ISS Reshetnev Stabilization   DC power   Transmit frequency   Design lifetime  15 years

A rare view of this range of satellite via a Russian News Report

Location:

Description:

• Blagovest No.13L is the third satellite to be launched for Russia′s Blagovest communications system. Designed to provide dedicated satellite links between the country′s military bases, Blagovest spacecraft are equipped with Ka and Q-band transponders. The satellites are intended for dual military and civilian use, supporting commercial telephony, high-speed internet and broadcasting services, although the military role is their primary mission.
• The Russian Ministry of Defence intends to deploy a constellation of at least four Blagovest into geostationary orbit, using slots at 45 and 128 degrees East. The spacecraft have been constructed by ISS Reshetnev and are based around the Ekspress 2000 platform. While their military nature means that few details of their capabilities have been made public, it is understood that each satellite is expected to operate for at least fifteen years.
• After deployment Blagovest No.13L will be renamed under the system of Cosmos designations that are applied to most of Russia′s military spacecraft. Under this system of sequential numbers dating back to 1962, the satellite is expected to become Cosmos 2533 – although this will not be confirmed until the satellite is safely in orbit.
• The name Blagovest comes from a type of bell peal used in the Eastern Orthodox Church and is often translated as “Good News”.

Mission details:

• Russia has successfully launched a Blagovest military communications satellite on Dec 21, 2018, with a Proton-M/Briz-M rocket lifting off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome to deploy Blagovest No.13L into geostationary orbit.
• The satellite rode to orbit atop a Proton-M carrier rocket equipped with a Briz-M upper stage. The same type of rocket used to deploy the two Blagovest satellites already in orbit, Proton lifted off Pad 24 at Site 81 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome on an easterly course. The three-stage Proton boosted Briz-M and the payload into space on a suborbital trajectory, with Briz-M then firing to reach an initial parking orbit. Additional Briz-M burns over the coming hours will lead up to spacecraft separation about nine hours after liftoff.
• Some reports suggested a problem with the final Briz-M burn, but on Dec 29 it was shown by US tracking in a 35421 x 35802 km x 0.2 deg orbit drifting over 77E.

External links:

• Satellite tracking (n2ya.com): Real time satellite tracking