Soyuz-2.1a - Kosmos-2579 (Bars-M №6) - Plesetsk, 43/4 - 31 October 2024 (07:51:31 UTC)

[B. Hendrickx]

Bars M 4 and Bars M 5
initial orbit
338x499 km

so it should be a Bars

Yes, no doubt now that this is Bars-M (14F148) N°6. This is the last of four Bars-M satellites ordered by the Ministry of Defense in August 2014. As is known from court documents, the program suffered serious delays because of the sanctions, which made it necessary to find new electronic components for the satellites, among other things for its optical payload (known as 14V333 or Karat). The Ministry of Defense awarded a new contract to RKTs Progress on March 5, 2016 to carry out this work under the name "Matritsa" ("matrix").

The orbital elements show that, as expected, Kosmos-2579 was placed into the same orbital plane as Kosmos-2567 (Bars-M N°4). So there are now four Bars-M satellites operating in two different orbital planes spaced about 20° apart. The other two are Kosmos-2556 (N°3) and Kosmos-2573 (N°5). Kosmos-2579 should gradually move to an orbit just under 500 km in the coming week or so. 

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/tskelso/status/1852074626899468687

CelesTrak has GP data for 2 objects from the launch (2024-197) of COSMOS 2579 atop a Soyuz-2.1a rocket from Plesetsk Cosmodrome on Oct 31 at 0751 UTC: sputnikglobe.com/20241031/russi…. Data for the launch can be found at:

https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/table.php?INTDES=2024-197

[FutureSpaceTourist]

[jcm]

From the launch video
Blok B:  No. 76072531
(2nd digit might be 8 not 6 I guess)

[Nicolas PILLET]

From the launch video
Blok B:  No. 760172531
(2nd digit might be 8 not 6 I guess)

Just 76072531.

[Alter Sachse]

Final orbit reached:
97.56° 94.66 min 497 507 km
Nov 8