MOSCOW, February 12. /TASS/. The Meteor-M satellite number 2-3, scheduled for launch in 2020, would be launched next year, the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos) press service told TASS.
"Roscosmos confirms Meteor-M satellite number 2-3 launch delay from 2020 to 2021," the press service said. "The spacecraft would undergo additional testing."
In late December, the Meteor-M number 2-2 went offline because of a micrometeoroid impact. Roscosmos reported that the satellite entered non-oriented flight. The agency specialists managed to re-establish communication with the satellite and attempted to bring it back online. In early February, the satellite malfunctioned again, but later the agency reported that the satellite orientation was restored and that the unit is operational.
Meteor-M is a member of a family of perspective spacecraft for weather surveying. These satellites gather information for weather forecasts, ozone layer condition and radiation situation in the Earth proximity.