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Russian Geo-IK-1 geodetic satellite to be launched in May - newspaper

The first Geo-IK-2 satellite was launched in December 2010; however it failed to reach the designated orbit on February 1, 2011 due to an error in the work of its upper stage

© Sergey Savostianov/TASS, archive

MOSCOW, March 24. /TASS/. A geodetic satellite Geo-IK-2 of the Russian defense ministry is scheduled to be launched in May 2016, the Izvestia daily said on Thursday citing Nikolai Testoyedov, the director general and general designer of Academician M.F. Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems, a leading Russian provider of satellites for a wide range of uses.

"The launch is scheduled for May but the exact day will depend on the final technological cycles," Testoyedov said. "The spacecraft is ready. It has been tested and is now at our enterprise. It will be shipped to the space center after the state commission issues a relevant resolution."

The first Geo-IK-2 satellite was launched in December 2010. However it failed to reach the designated orbit on February 1, 2011 due to an error in the work of its upper stage. In June 2011, the satellite was officially recognized as lost. The launch of the second satellite was postponed and works started on a new spacecraft to substitute for the first satellite. The manufacturer however had problems with buying components outside Russia.

The Geo-IK-2 satellite will be used to conduct high precision geodesic measurements thus helping Russian scientists update cartographic models of the Earth and refine its geophysical parameters.

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