Today, December 29, 2020, at 19:42:07 Moscow time from the launch pad of the Guiana Space Center as part of the Arianespace VS25 launch campaign, the Soyuz-ST-A launch vehicle with the Fregat-M upper stage was successfully launched and spacecraft CSO-2 for the French National Center for Space Research and the Directorate General for Armaments in the interests of the French Ministry of Defense.
In 8 minutes 49 seconds after the launch, the head unit as part of the upper stage and the new vehicle separated from the third stage of the launch vehicle in the normal mode. Upper stage “Fregat-M” has started to perform the flight mission to launch the CSO-2 spacecraft into the target orbit. Its separation will take place 59 minutes and 37 seconds after the start, at 20:41 Moscow time.
Roscosmos State Corporation is responsible for the implementation of the Soyuz program in the Guiana Space Center on the Russian side and coordinates work with domestic enterprises of the rocket and space industry involved in the program. is part of the State Corporation Roscosmos), providing interaction with Arianespace.
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The Soyuz-ST launch vehicle was developed at the Progress Rocket and Space Center (Samara, part of the Roscosmos State Corporation) based on the Soyuz-2 rocket. The rocket is designed to support spacecraft launches from the Guiana Space Center (French Guiana). This rocket is adapted to the requirements of the GKTs in terms of safety (receiving telecommands from the Earth to terminate the flight), telemetry systems (transmitters operating in the decimeter range with the European telemetry frame structure) and operating conditions (high humidity, sea transportation, and others). In addition, it is equipped with an ST-type head fairing that meets international requirements, which, in combination with the use of an upper stage of the Fregat family, will provide a wide range of payloads into orbit.
Glavkosmos is a subsidiary of the Roscosmos State Corporation. The main task of the company is to promote the achievements of the Russian rocket and space industry to world markets and to manage complex international projects. For more than thirty years of the company’s history, more than 140 international contracts have been successfully implemented, including more than 150 spacecraft were launched as a passing payload.