Russian Federation loses advanced military satellite after launch

The loss of the Kanopos-ST satellite is another setback to Russia’s space program after a number of rocket launch failures earlier this year.

One of four locks holding the Kanopus ST satellite failed during the separation sequence, and ground controllers have been unable to contact the craft and re-issue the separation command, the state-owned Tass news agency said Monday.

A Soyuz-2.1B rocket carrying the satellite blasted off from the Plesetsk cosmodrome on December 5.

“The spacecraft…is recognized as lost since it is impossible to use it according to its goal”, a source told Tass, adding that a repeat attempt to separate the satellite from the upper-stage rocket was unsuccessful. In 2010, Vladimir Boldyrev of the Kosmonit Scientific and Technological Center operated by Russian Space Systems said that Kosmonit “had designed a Kanopos-ST module which, having been put into a low-earth orbit, will be capable of remote ocean sensing, monitoring the surface and underwater situation and detecting submerged submarines”.

The other satellite launched aboard the most modern carrier rocket in Russia (Soyuz 2.1B), was placed in its orbit as expected and is operating in a normal way.

Within the next two or three days, the satellite will fall back to Earth and burn up in the atmosphere.

Soyuz rockets are now the only launch vehicle transporting people to the International Space Station (ISS).

Russian Federation has lost several expensive satellites in recent years.

Another satellite carried by the rocket did manage to separate from the rocket and is orbiting normally.

Just 10 months before, a rocket carrying three Russian-made Glonass navigation satellites exploded before launch.