Roscosmos plans to order Proton-M this year to launch Express-AMU4 and transport it to Baikonur next year. At the same time, the satellite itself has not yet been ordered. "Breeze-M" is not ordered, but in 2021 it also goes to Baikonur, which means it is borrowed.
QuoteИзготовление и поставка ракеты-носителя «Протон-М» для запуска космического аппарата «Экспресс-АМУ4»Изготовление и поставка ракеты-носителя «Союз-2-1а» для запуска космических аппаратов «Канопус-В» № 7, № 8https://zakupki.gov.ru/epz/orderplan/pg2020/plan-position.html?plan-number=202009950000002001&revision-id=&position-number=Quote from: Google translateManufacturing and delivery of the Proton-M launch vehicle for launching the Express-AMU4 spacecraft.Manufacturing and delivery of the Soyuz-2-1a launch vehicle for the launch of the Kanopus-V spacecraft No. 7, No. 8.
Изготовление и поставка ракеты-носителя «Протон-М» для запуска космического аппарата «Экспресс-АМУ4»Изготовление и поставка ракеты-носителя «Союз-2-1а» для запуска космических аппаратов «Канопус-В» № 7, № 8
Manufacturing and delivery of the Proton-M launch vehicle for launching the Express-AMU4 spacecraft.Manufacturing and delivery of the Soyuz-2-1a launch vehicle for the launch of the Kanopus-V spacecraft No. 7, No. 8.
Изготовление и поставка головного обтекателя 14С75 для запуска космического аппарата «Экспресс-АМУ4» 250 000 000 ₽Изготовление и поставка ракеты-носителя «Протон-М» для запуска космического аппарата «Экспресс-АМУ4» 2 299 200 000 ₽Транспортировка разгонного блока «Бриз-М» для запуска космического аппарата «Экспресс-АМУ4» 32 000 000 ₽Транспортировка ракеты-носителя «Протон-М» с головным обтекателем для запуска космического аппарата «Экспресс-АМУ4» 33 800 000 ₽
Production and supply 14S75 fairing for launch of the spacecraft "Express AMU4" 250000000 ₽manufacture and delivery of the launch vehicle "Proton-M" for spacecraft launch "Express AMU4" 2299200000 ₽Transporting booster "Briz- M "for launching the Express-AMU4 spacecraft 32,000,000 ₽Transportation of the Proton-M launch vehicle with a nose fairing for launching the Express-AMU4 spacecraft 33,800,000 ₽
Two Russian telecommunications spacecraft (SC) "Express-AMU3" and "Express-AMU7" will be launched in 2021 in the interests of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Space Communication" (GP CS). The specialists have also started to work out the appearance of the Express-AMU4 satellite.<snip>Yuri Prokhorov also said that experts have begun working on the appearance of the Express-AMU4 satellite, which is scheduled to launch in 2023.
Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Space Communications" and JSC "Information Satellite Systems" named after Academician M. F. Reshetnev "began the development of a new promising communication satellite of the GP KS "Ekspress-AMU4". The corresponding agreement was signed by the General Director of the GP KS Alexey Volin and the General Director of JSC "ISS named after academician M.F. Reshetnev" Yevgeny Nesterov on July 19 in the city of Zheleznogorsk," the report says.The Ekspress-AMU4 apparatus will provide satellite communication and broadcasting services in the European part of Russia, as well as in the countries of the Middle East, Europe, North Africa, South America and part of North America. The entire space platform of the satellite will consist entirely of devices of domestic production, and the period of active existence of the Express-AMU4 satellite will be at least 15 years. The launch of the spacecraft is scheduled for 2026.
Volin continued: “A year and a half ago, almost all communication satellites were produced according to the principle “Russian platform – imported payload”. As part of the ICC, we came to the conclusion that Russian enterprises are ready to create their own payloads. As a result, today the fully domestic spacecraft Express-AMU4 is in production. This was the first project within the framework of the ICC”.
“To date, the industry has received 4.7 billion rubles for the construction of the satellite. In 2025, another 6 billion should be allocated. At the moment, the main elements of the platform and payload (PL) have been manufactured and delivered, and in April the PL will be installed on the platform. We expect the release of the spacecraft at the end of 2026, it means that Express-AMU4 should begin operating in 2027,” Alexey Volin concluded.
Using the example of the Express-AMU4, the industry successfully completed the full-scale production of a completely domestic satellite. This is a significant undertaking, as a satellite today consists of 1,040 devices and equipment units manufactured at 300 enterprises. Now it is important to understand how the solutions tested during the satellite's development will be scaled up, said General Director of RSCC and Chairman of the Industrial Competence Center (ICC) “Satellite Communications” at the Demo Day of the ICC. The event took place on October 2 in Moscow as part of the 30th anniversary international conference of space communications operators and users, SATCOMRUS 2025.“This experience will be scaled up quite broadly, since, firstly, the Yamal-501, currently being manufactured by JSC RESHETNEV, is a near-twin of the Express-AMU4. Secondly, many of the solutions used in the AMU4 are also implemented in the four Express-RV satellites, which, as was announced today, will be launched in 2027. Finally, there are seven more satellites that we plan to order within the next two years. In other words, this is essentially full-fledged and small-scale production,” noted Alexey Volin. Currently, JSC RESHETNEV is assembling the satellite: the designed components and devices are being installed on the platform.Pavel Tatarenko, Deputy Chairman of ICC, Deputy General Director and Head of the IT Service of RSCC, announced that the hardware and software system of spacecraft control would be operational in March 2026. “Accordingly, at that point, we will be ready to say that we will have 100% import substitution at a critical information infrastructure facility,” Tatarenko explained.
“Almost every country today strives to acquire its own orbital system or at least one spacecraft to ensure its sovereignty and independence in space. We also operate a constellation of 12 geostationary satellites and plan to launch eight more by 2030 to replace those reaching the end of their operational lifetime. The fully domestic Express-AMU4 is already in production, and we must use it to refine all technologies for the next seven satellites,” shared RSCC General Director. He added that the company intends to maintain all orbital positions and frequencies of the Russian Federation during the replacement process.
