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Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket blasts off from Vostochny spaceport to orbit civilian satellite

This is the eighth launch of a Russian carrier rocket this year and the first one from the Vostochny spaceport

Soyuz-2.1a Sergei Savostyanov/TASS

Soyuz-2.1a

© Sergei Savostyanov/TASS

VOSTOCHNY SPACEPORT, May 27. /TASS/. A Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket was launched from the Vostochny spaceport in Russia’s Far East on Saturday to orbit Kondor-FKA No. 1 civilian radar observation satellite designed to provide for the round-the-clock all-weather monitoring of the Earth’s continental areas and the World Ocean.

The rocket was launched at 12:14 a.m. Moscow time. This is the eighth launch of a Russian carrier rocket this year and the first one from the Vostochny spaceport, a TASS correspondent reports.

The satellite will deal with mapping of the Earth’s surface, environmental monitoring and the prospecting of natural resources. The space vehicle will be able to get detailed images with a 1-meter resolution and survey the Earth’s surface on an area of 120 km in any weather and at any time of the day or night.

Specifically, the Kondor-FKA will operate for the purposes of forecasting, monitoring and data support for measures to eliminate the consequences of floods, forest fires, snow avalanches and other natural disasters. As Roscosmos reported, the satellite will contribute to effectively gauging the scope of oil spills. The satellite will also monitor the dynamics of the contamination of water areas with petroleum products and waste water.

The Kondor is a series of small Earth’s remote sensing satellites developed by the Research and Production Association of Machine-Building for the Aerospace Defense Forces and foreign customers. Russian satellites are designated as Kondor and their export versions as Kondor-E. The satellites are designed to carry out the Earth’s mapping, environmental monitoring and the prospecting of natural resources.

In 2013-2014, Russia launched two Kondor satellites. The launch of Kondor-FKA No. 2 vehicle is scheduled for June 2024. Currently, the Research and Production Association of Machine-Building is developing the Kondor-FKA-M satellite designed for the prospecting of natural resources.

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