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| Mission type | Communication |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 2012-063A[1] |
| SATCAT № | 38995[1] |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | ISS Reshetnev[2] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 14 November 2012, 11:42 UTC |
| Rocket | Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat[1][3] |
| Launch site | Plesetsk 43/4[1][3] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Molniya |
| Eccentricity | 0.7249[1] |
| Perigee | 977 kilometres (607 mi)[1] |
| Apogee | 39,740 kilometres (24,690 mi)[1] |
| Inclination | 62.82 degrees[1][1] |
| Period | 725.14 minutes[1] |
Meridian 6 (Russian: Меридиан-6) is a Russian military communications satellite, one of the Meridian series. It is designed to carry military communications traffic and is a replacement for the molniya satellites. In common with the earlier satellites these craft are in molniya orbits, a highly elliptical orbit named after the earlier satellites and giving good coverage of northern Russia.
Meridian[]
Meridian satellites are the replacement for older Soviet molniya satellites, and some authors think some functions of the parus satellites.[1][2] They are built by ISS Reshetnev and may share some components with their GLONASS-M satellites. The first Meridian satellite was launched in 2006 and two of the six launched so far have failed - Meridian 2 due a problem with the Fregat upper stage and Meridian 5 due to a problem with the third stage motor.[4]
The satellites are believed to have a pressurised bus and a three axis control system. They are manufactured by PO Polyot on behalf of ISS Reshetnev. They have the GRAU index 14F112.[2][5]
Launch[]
Meridian was launched on 14 November 2012 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome launchpad 43/4 by a Soyuz-2.1a rocket with a Fregat upper stage. It was launched at 11:42 UTC and the satellite and upper stage separated from the rocket at 11:51 UTC. The satellite was then released from the upper stage into a molniya orbit at 14:00 UTC. It was given the international designator 2012-063A and the United States Space Command assigned it the Satellite Catalog Number 38995.[1][4][5][6]
The launch was attended by newly appointed Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu in his first visit to the troops since being appointed on 6 November 2012.[5][7]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 "2012-063". zarya.info. 2012. http://www.zarya.info/Diaries/Launches/Launches.php?year=2012#063. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Meridian (14F112)". Gunter's Space Page. 2012. http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/meridian.htm. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pavel, Podvig (2012-11-14). "Successful launch of Meridian communication satellite". Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces. http://russianforces.org/blog/2012/11/successful_launch_of_meridian.shtml. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Graham, William (2012-11-14). "Soyuz 2-1A launches latest Meridian satellite for the Russian military". NASAspaceflight.com. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2012/11/soyuz-2-1a-launches-meridian-satellite-russian-military/. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Zak, Anatoly (2012-11-15). "The Meridian project". Russian Space Web. http://www.russianspaceweb.com/meridian.html#6. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
- ↑ "Soyuz/Fregat launches with next Meridian Satellite". spaceflight101. 2012-11-14. http://www.spaceflight101.com/meridian-6-launch-updates.html. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
- ↑ "Министр обороны России генерал армии Сергей Шойгу совершил первую поездку в войска" (in Russian). Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu made his first visit to the troops. Russian Ministry of Defence. 2012-11-14. http://function.mil.ru/news_page/country/more.htm?id=11463172@egNews. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
The original article can be found at Meridian 6 and the edit history here.