Successful Launch from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome

PLESETSK COSMODROME, Russia (Roscosmos PR) — The Aerospace Forces successfully launched the Soyuz-2 carrier rocket from the Plesetsk cosmodrome. The launch of the carrier rocket and the insertion of the Pion-NKS 1 naval intelligence satellite into the calculated orbit took place in the normal mode. This is reported by the Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

Two minutes after the launch, the Soyuz-2 launch vehicle was accepted for escort by ground control facilities at the German Titov Main Testing Space Center. At the estimated time, the satellite was launched into the target orbit and taken over for control of ground-based facilities of the Aerospace Forces.

A stable telemetric connection has been established and maintained with the spacecraft; its onboard systems are functioning normally. After being put into orbit, it was assigned the serial number “Kosmos-2550”.

After the spacecraft was injected into orbit, the officers of the Space Control Center of the Space Forces of the Aerospace Forces entered information about the spacecraft launched into orbit into the Main Catalog of Space Objects of the Russian Space Control System, and began to analyze and process information about the new space object to be accepted for escort by ground by means of the Main Center for the Reconnaissance of the Space Situation of the Space Forces of the Aerospace Forces.

This is the second launch of the Soyuz-2 launch vehicle from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in 2021. In total, more than 80 combat crews and over 50 ground vehicles of the 15th Army of the Aerospace Special Forces were involved in ensuring the launch of the spacecraft of the Russian Ministry of Defense.