Russia launched on December 11 a navigation satellite for its GLONASS constellation.
Located aboard a Soyuz-2-1b / Fregat rocket, it took off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome at 08:54 UTC.
The vehicle was placed in a circular orbit of about 19,000 km altitude.
This is the Uragan-M-50 satellite (or GLONASS M-59), which has been baptized as usual with the Kosmos label once in space (Kosmos-2544).
The GLONASS are the Russian counterpart to US GPS, and serve to offer global positioning and navigation services for both military and civilian users.
The Uragan-M series is an advanced model that allows for a longer lifespan, up to 7 years.
They are manufactured by the company NPO PM on a platform stabilized in its three axes. They weigh about 14.15 kg
Source: Noticiasdelaciencia
