Gonets-M 2

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Russia spacecraft nr:

Launch data:

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Mission details:

• Civilian version of military Strela 3 store-dump communications satellite; fleet will have 36 craft, with six craft per orbital plane.
• Three small Strela-3/Gonets-class satellites were launched into 1497 x 1507 km x 82.5 deg orbits on Sep 8, 2010. One is a civilian Gonets-M; the other two, given Cosmos names, are a 17F13 Strela-3 and the newer 14F132 model (Strela-3M or Rodnik), and are part of the corresponding military constellation.
• The satellites were launched by the Rokot vehicle, which is based on Khrunichev's UR-100NU missile (known as the SS-19 in the West) with a Briz-KM upper stage. This is the 15th orbital Rokot launch and the 5th since the start of 2009, reflecting an increased flight rate as the Kosmos-3M and Tsiklon-3 are phased out.