Russian Space Forces
Soyuz 2.1B
Russian Space Forces
(VKS)
Launch Vehicle
Soyuz 2.1B
Configuration: Fregat-M
Family: Soyuz
Soyuz-2, GRAU index 14A14, is the collective designation for the 21st-century version of the Russian Soyuz rocket. In its basic form, it is a three-stage carrier rocket for placing payloads into low Earth orbit. The first-stage boosters and two core stages feature uprated engines with improved injection systems, compared to the previous versions of the Soyuz. Digital flight control and telemetry systems allow the rocket to be launched from a fixed launch platform, whereas the launch platforms for earlier Soyuz rockets had to be rotated as the rocket could not perform a roll to change its heading in flight.
Navigation
Glonass-M, also known as Uragan-M, are the second generation of Uragan satellite design used for GLONASS satellite navigation system. GLONASS is a Russian space-based navigation system comparable to the similar GPS and Galileo systems. This generation improves on accuracy, power consumption and design life. Each satellite weighs 1415 kg, is equipped with 12 L-band antennas, and has an operational lifetime of 7 years.