Russia VKS launches Kosmos 2555 satellite using a light-class Angara Rocket
Updated: Apr 30, 2022
The launch is Angara 1.2's first flight to orbit.
April 29, 2022 the Angara-1.2 light class carrier rocket was launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region with an EMKA №3 spacecraft (officially called Kosmos 2555), for the Russian Ministry of Defense. Angara-1.2 number 1L / 71602 took off from the “Northern Cosmodrome” at 19.55.22.612 UTC/ 22:55.22.612 Moscow time.
"The Combat Aerospace Forces successfully launched an Angara-1.2 light-class launch vehicle with a spacecraft in the interest of the Russian Ministry of Defense from the launch table.
Analysts speculate that the satellite was placed in a nearly circular Sun-Synchronous Orbit at an mean altitude of 300 km, with the latest EMKA orbit being 319 x 347 km, inclined at 96.64 degrees with a period of 90.94 minutes.
The head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, recalled that the same configuration rocket will carry the tests of the second stage from the eastern Vostochny cosmodrome. Angara-1.2PP has been released so far only once in July 2014 also from Plesetsk. Earlier on April 11, Rogozin, talking about plans, said that in December 2023 the light version of Angara will be launched from Vostochny, and the launch of another Angara-A5 rocket w