Soyuz-2.1a/Fregat - Kondor-FKA №2 - Vostochny - November 29, 2024 (21:50 UTC)

[Salo]

Liftoff 21:50:25.130 UTC.

[catdlr]

https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1862618017701462116

[catdlr]

Highlight Video

[B. Hendrickx]

During the webcast Roscosmos showed what I think are the first publicly released images taken by Kondor-FKA N°1. A few of them are attached:
-Moscow
-Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow
-Vostochny cosmodrome
-Murmansk (note the close-up of the ship)

The absence of images until now has fueled speculation that Kondor-FKA N°1 is primarily being used for military purposes, notably to support Russia's war effort in Ukraine. There was, of course, no mention of that during the webcast. There is probably only one dedicated Russian military radar satellite in orbit now, namely Kosmos-2553 (14F01-01/Neitron), another product of NPO Mashinostroyeniya that likely uses a bus similar to that of Kondor-FKA.

Also shown during the webcast was a drawing of the orbits of Kondor-FKA N°1 and 2. Their orbital planes will be close to one another to make possible interferometric imaging.  The follow-on satellites called Kondor-FKA-M are still said to be in the design phase and will have a maximum resolution of 0.4 m.

The Fregat upper stage serial number was given as 142-04.

Roscosmos' Kondor-FKA N°2 press kit is here (for those who can access it):
 https://www.roscosmos.ru/media/pdf/press%20kits/3011-kondor-2.pdf

And finally, here's a NOTAM for what must be the de-orbiting of the Fregat off the coast of Chile (between 23.30 and 01.30 UTC).

R0288/24 NOTAMN
Q) SCIZ/QRDCA/IV/BO/W/000/999/3536S08809W179
A) SCIZ B) 2411292330 C) 2411300130
E) ZONE ...D... SECT WEST PACIFIC DUE TO ROCKET DEBRIS THE
AREA IS BOUNDED WI:
532700S / 0880900W
350000S / 0814500W
353600S / 0801800W
541200S / 0864800W
532700S / 0880900W
INSTRUCTIONS: SANTIAGO OCEANIC CONTROL 10024KHZ
FANS 1A EQUIPPED ACFT LOGON SCEZ
INFO PROVIDED BY MAIN ATM CENTER OF RUSIA
FSUE STATE ATM CORPORATION
TEL +7(495)601-0654(22-88)
FAX +74956010797
F) SFC G) UNL
CREATED: 18 Nov 2024 17:57:00
SOURCE: SCSCYNYX

[Steven Pietrobon]

Roscosmos' Kondor-FKA N°2 press kit is here (for those who can access it):
 https://www.roscosmos.ru/media/pdf/press%20kits/3011-kondor-2.pdf

Can someone who does have access post it here?

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Roscosmos' Kondor-FKA N°2 press kit is here (for those who can access it):
 https://www.roscosmos.ru/media/pdf/press%20kits/3011-kondor-2.pdf

Can someone who does have access post it here?

Here it is:

[B. Hendrickx]

Orbit parameters are now available. I've also added those of Kondor-FKA N°1 for comparison. The orbit planes are separated by about 9°.

The Roscosmos press kit is extremely basic. There is a much more detailed Kondor-FKA user guide that was published before the launch of the first satellite. Available here:
https://www.roscosmos.ru/media/files/2023/2023.02.17.rukovodstvo.pol.zovatela.kondor-fka.dla.saita.pdf
And downloaded below.

[gosnold]

Strange that they are not on the same plane, I think that means giving up the interferometry capability. Which can be useful for civilian uses, probably not so much for military ones.

[B. Hendrickx]

Strange that they are not on the same plane, I think that means giving up the interferometry capability.

According to the user guide (p. 26-32), that's exactly what makes the interferometry possible. Interferometry is definitely part of this mission. Also confirmed during the webcast yesterday.

[Satori]

A few launch images from Roscosmos Telegram...

[jcm]

During the webcast Roscosmos showed what I think are the first publicly released images taken by Kondor-FKA N°1. A few of them are attached:
-Moscow
-Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow
-Vostochny cosmodrome
-Murmansk (note the close-up of the ship)

The absence of images until now has fueled speculation that Kondor-FKA N°1 is primarily being used for military purposes, notably to support Russia's war effort in Ukraine. There was, of course, no mention of that during the webcast. There is probably only one dedicated Russian military radar satellite in orbit now, namely Kosmos-2553 (14F01-01/Neitron), another product of NPO Mashinostroyeniya that likely uses a bus similar to that of Kondor-FKA.

Also shown during the webcast was a drawing of the orbits of Kondor-FKA N°1 and 2. Their orbital planes will be close to one another to make possible interferometric imaging.  The follow-on satellites called Kondor-FKA-M are still said to be in the design phase and will have a maximum resolution of 0.4 m.

The Fregat upper stage serial number was given as 142-04.

Roscosmos' Kondor-FKA N°2 press kit is here (for those who can access it):
 https://www.roscosmos.ru/media/pdf/press%20kits/3011-kondor-2.pdf

And finally, here's a NOTAM for what must be the de-orbiting of the Fregat off the coast of Chile (between 23.30 and 01.30 UTC).

R0288/24 NOTAMN
Q) SCIZ/QRDCA/IV/BO/W/000/999/3536S08809W179
A) SCIZ B) 2411292330 C) 2411300130
E) ZONE ...D... SECT WEST PACIFIC DUE TO ROCKET DEBRIS THE
AREA IS BOUNDED WI:
532700S / 0880900W
350000S / 0814500W
353600S / 0801800W
541200S / 0864800W
532700S / 0880900W
INSTRUCTIONS: SANTIAGO OCEANIC CONTROL 10024KHZ
FANS 1A EQUIPPED ACFT LOGON SCEZ
INFO PROVIDED BY MAIN ATM CENTER OF RUSIA
FSUE STATE ATM CORPORATION
TEL +7(495)601-0654(22-88)
FAX +74956010797
F) SFC G) UNL
CREATED: 18 Nov 2024 17:57:00
SOURCE: SCSCYNYX

I was really happy to see this Fregat notam, but did anyone see one for the Soyuz third stage?
I'm trying to reconstruct its trajectory.

[B. Hendrickx]

I was really happy to see this Fregat notam, but did anyone see one for the Soyuz third stage?
I'm trying to reconstruct its trajectory.

I didn't see a NOTAM for third stage impact, but I've attached a Roscosmos map showing possible launch azimuths from Vostochny. The blue line is the trajectory for a launch into a 98° orbit, not too different from the 97.4° orbit used by Kondor-FKA. I think the small circle in the middle of the Atlantic is the standard drop zone for the third stage. Also see a map from Anatoly Zak's website showing the trajectory that a Soyuz-2.1b/Fregat followed for the launch of a Meteor satellite into a 98.5° inclination orbit earlier this year. He writes:

The third stage continued firing, inserting the Fregat upper stage and its passengers into an orbit with an apogee (highest point) of 196 kilometers and a perigee of just 12 kilometers or well in the dense atmosphere. As a result, after its engine cutoff and separation from Fregat, 9 minutes 24 seconds after liftoff, the third stage began a long free fall back to Earth over the Arctic and Northern Atlantic Oceans. Its trajectory was designed to bring the flaming debris of the booster crashing into the Atlantic Ocean.

It shouldn't have been too different for this launch.

Robert Christy writes on his "Orbital Focus" website that according to his calculations Kondor-FKA separated from Fregat around 22.55 UTC and that Fregat re-entered above the Southern Pacific Ocean at about 0.10 UTC. I hope this will allow you to reconstruct the launch trajectory and subsequent events.