VOSTOCHNY SPACEPORT /Amur region/, February 1. /TASS/. Nine small foreign satellites, which were launched together with Russia’s Kanopus-V remote Earth sensing satellites, have successfully reached their orbits, head of Roscosmos state corporation Igor Komarov said on Thursday.
"Nine spacecraft from Germany and the United States have been separated [from the Fregat booster]. They have been delivered to the calculated orbits. The customers will start working with them in a while. Over the next 24 hours we will receive information on the spacecraft’ condition and how they work, but this is already the customers’ responsibility," Komarov said.
Germany’s four S-Net satellites and one D-Star One satellite, as well as four US LEMUR remote sensing satellites, were put into orbits. The Fregat booster will now be sent towards the Earth and enter the atmosphere at the altitude of 100 km at 10.34 a.m. Moscow Time. Its unburnt remains will be buried in the remote area of the Pacific Ocean.
Earlier, Russia’s Kanopus-V satellites were delivered to the orbit.
Russia’s Soyuz-2.1a rocket carrying 11 satellites was launched from the Vostochny spaceport in Russia’s Far East earlier on Thursday.
Initially, the third launch from the Vostochny spaceport had been scheduled for December 22, 2017. However, after the failed second launch on November 28, 2017, when a Russian Meteor-M weather satellite and 18 small satellites were lost, it was postponed until February 1.