Record number of small satellites to be launched from Baikonur

BAIKONUR. KAZINFORM 72 small satellites will be orbited by a Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket together with a Fregat booster as associated payload under the Kanopus-V-IK space mission, Kazinform correspondent reports.

A The mission of such complexity will be implemented for the first time in the history of the launch of small satellites, Glavcosmos said in a statement.

The Fregat acceleration unit will deliver the Kanopus-V-IK satellite and associated small satellites into three different orbits, with the subsequent de-orbiting of the booster.

According to TASS, apart from this, Glavcosmos will be distributing images received from Russia's Kanopus-V and Resurs-P Earth's remote sensing satellites on foreign markets.

The family of Russia's Soyuz-2 carrier rockets currently comprises Soyuz-2.1a and Soyuz-2.1b medium-class launchers and also the Soyuz-2.1v light rocket. They can be launched from the Baikonur, Plesetsk, and Vostochny cosmodromes and the Kourou spaceport (South America).