Author Topic: Angara-1.2 - Kosmos 2560 (EO MKA#3) - Plesetsk - 15 October 2022 (19:55 UTC) (Read 26070 times)

zubenelgenubi · « **on:** 06/27/2022 07:02 pm »

Cross-post:

Quote from: russianhalo117 on 06/27/2022 05:13 pm

Quote from: russianhalo117 on 06/24/2022 01:45 am
The Angara-A5DM-03 Persei (71754/2L) launcher set for an Q4 2022/Q1 2023 EKS/Tundra/Kupol launch shipped to Plesetsk on 16 May 2022.

Subscription Paywalled Article: Angara-5 to carry its first satellite
The Angara-1.2/AM (71603?/2L) launcher set for an Q4 2022 Kosmos launch (A1.2/AM second test flight) entered its shipping preparation to Plesetsk on 16 June 2022.

Subscription Paywalled Article: Another Angara-1.2 is planned in 2022

Vahe231991 · « **Reply #1 on:** 07/22/2022 11:56 pm »

Cross-post:

Quote from: Rondaz on 07/22/2022 01:19 pm

Roscosmos showed photos of #Angara1.2 in Khrunichev Center which will be sent to Plesetsk and will perform the last test flight for this type of launch vehicles. Without Z so far, but there’s no fairing on the photo.

https://twitter.com/katlinegrey/status/1549272167078105088

B. Hendrickx · « **Reply #2 on:** 10/08/2022 06:49 pm »

An insider on the NK forum wrote yesterday that the next launch of Angara-1.2 is due to take place in a week's time, meaning launch is planned on or around October 14. He said the payload will be EMKA-3, suggesting it will be the same type of short-lived low-orbiting satellite as Kosmos-2551 and 2555. Another insider on the NK forum had already hinted last April that the third satellite of this type would be launched this fall.

zubenelgenubi · « **Reply #3 on:** 10/10/2022 12:25 pm »

Assuming a successful launch in the above timeframe, the satellite should be designated Kosmos 2560.

Alter Sachse · « **Reply #4 on:** 10/10/2022 02:02 pm »

If I understand the information at NK correctly, the launch takes place Oct 14...Oct 17
between 19:00 and 21:30 UTC

Galactic Penguin SST · « **Reply #5 on:** 10/10/2022 04:30 pm »

Quote from: Alter Sachse on 10/10/2022 02:02 pm

If I understand the information at NK correctly, the launch takes place Oct 14...Oct 17
between 19:00 and 21:30 UTC

Yeah there are several air space closure notices filed in the Arctic and Pacific Oceans that fits with those used for the first Angara A1.2 launch in April

A6271/22 NOTAMN Q) ENOB/QRDCA/IV/BO /W /000/999/7346N02858E042 A) ENOB B) 2210141900 C) 2210172130 D) DAILY 1900-2130 E) TEMPO DANGER AREA ACTIVATED, PSN: 741400N 0271518E - 742532N 0284515E - 734016N 0300000E - 731225N 0300000E - 730545N 0291110E - (741400N 0271518E). IMPACT AREA FOR RUSSIAN MISSILES. SIMILAR ACTIVITIES ARE ALSO PLANNED WITHIN THE UNALLOCATED INTERNATIONAL AIRSPACE EAST OF REPORTED IMPACT ZONE, PSN: 734016N 0300000E - 731705N 0303530E - 731225N 0300000E - (734016N 0300000E), AND PSN: 715120N 0320500E - 710230N 0320500E - 714343N 0310800E - (715120N 0320500E) F) SFC G) UNL A4244/22 NOTAMN Q) KZAK/QRDCA////000/999/ A) KZAK B) 2210141900 C) 2210172130 D) DLY 1900-2130 E) THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION PLANS TO CONDUCT A MISSLE LAUNCH. HAZARDOUS AREA 1 WI THE OAKLAND ARTCC OCEANIC FIR IS BOUNDED BY 155725N 1323955W 154545N 1313058W 111820N 1321920W 113022N 1332700W (TO POINT OF ORIGIN). IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY ALL NON-PARTICIPATING AIR TFC ARE ADZ TO AVOID THE NOTAMED AREA. IFR ACFT UNDER ATC JURISDICTION SHOULD ANTICIPATE CLR AROUND THE NOTAMED AREA. F) SFC G) UNL A4245/22 NOTAMN Q) KZAK/QRDCA////000/999/ A) KZAK B) 2210142230 C) 2210172350 D) DLY 2230-2350 E) THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION PLANS TO CONDUCT A MISSLE LAUNCH. HAZARDOUS AREA 2 WI THE OAKLAND ARTCC OCEANIC FIR IS BOUNDED BY 403010N 1752145W 400540N 1730355W 330430N 1750800W 332710N 1771340W (TO POINT OF ORIGIN). IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY ALL NON-PARTICIPATING AIR TFC ARE ADZ TO AVOID THE NOTAMED AREA. IFR ACFT UNDER ATC JURISDICTION SHOULD ANTICIPATE CLR AROUND THE NOTAMED AREA. F) SFC G) UNL

Rondaz · « **Reply #6 on:** 10/13/2022 12:11 pm »

Orbital Launch no.139 of 2022

EMKA 3 | Russian Space Force | Oct 14 | 2000 UTC

Russian Space forces of the division of MoD at the #Plesetsk cosmodrome will launch the optical reconnaissance EMKA №3 on Angara-1.2 (the lighter version of #Angara).

https://twitter.com/SpaceIntellige3/status/1580477149068525568

B. Hendrickx · « **Reply #7 on:** 10/13/2022 08:16 pm »

The infographic in the previous post identifies EMKA-3 as a Zvezda type photographic reconnaissance satellite built by VNIIEM, but this is probably incorrect. As I have explained in other posts, EMKA (“experimental small satellite”) now turns out to be a general cover name for experimental military satellites built by a variety of companies. The first satellite with the EMKA label (identified as such in official documentation) was Kosmos-2525, also known as Razdan-N, which seems to have been originally proposed as a civilian remote sensing satellite under the name Zvezda. This was a product of VNIIEM. Launched by a Soyuz-2-1v in March 2018, it remained in orbit for nearly three years, regularly maneuvered and was most likely a photographic reconnaissance satellite.

The next two satellites with the EMKA label (according to several insiders on the NK forum) were Kosmos-2551 (launched by a Soyuz-2-1v in September 2021) and Kosmos-2555 (launched by Angara 1.2 in April this year). Neither of those maneuvered and they re-entered after just several weeks, a sign that they were of a different type than Kosmos-2525. Also pointing in that direction was the fact that they were identified as EMKA-1 and 2 (rather than 2 and 3). Moreover, the launch of Kosmos-2555 was not mentioned by a VNIIEM representative who gave an overview of the company’s activities in the first half of 2022 (while he did mention a trio of small military VNIIEM satellites scheduled for launch in the second half of the year). In other words, Kosmos-2551 and 2555 seem to have been built by another company than VNIIEM and there is no evidence they were used for photographic reconnaissance. One source on the NK forum claimed to know for sure that both served as targets for the Peresvet anti-satellite laser system.

All that is known about the payload for tomorrow’s Angara-1.2 launch also comes from insiders on the NK forum. The original plan apparently was to fly several satellites (possibly including one or more dummies) to see how the rocket would behave carrying a maximum payload (this is still considered a test flight for Angara). However, those payloads had not originally been designed to fly on Angara and there was no time to adapt them for Angara and build an adapter to deploy them from the rocket. So it was eventually decided to fly just a single satellite. One of the insiders hinted last April that a satellite of the same type as Kosmos-2551 and 2555 would be orbited this fall. Last week another one identified the payload as EMKA (without adding a number). Based on that, it is most likely the same type of satellite as Kosmos-2551 and 2555.

Impact zones announced for this launch are very similar to those for last April’s launch, with the AM upper stage scheduled to be de-orbited over the Pacific after two revolutions. I’ve attached a possible launch profile that was compiled by Bob Christy based on navigation warnings and observations of last April’s launch.
https://postimg.cc/Jygpv5Bm

On last April’s mission, the Angara dropped the payload in a low 279x294 km orbit, after which the AM stage performed a test burn to raise its apogee to 800 km. It remains to be seen if this will also happen tomorrow. One of the insiders claimed that there would be a difference in the AM flight profile this time, resulting in a different kind of orbit for the satellite. So it is possible that the satellite will be deployed after the AM performs its burn and will therefore end up in a higher orbit than Kosmos-2555. But let’s just wait and see what happens.

B. Hendrickx · « **Reply #8 on:** 10/14/2022 08:18 pm »

Launch was supposed to have taken place at 20.55 UTC, but so far no confirmation that Angara has lifted off. According to one poster on the NK forum, nothing was seen from Petrozavodsk (some 700 km west of Plesetsk) (where it should have been seen). Apparently everything was still OK with five minutes to go in the countdown.

B. Hendrickx · « **Reply #9 on:** 10/14/2022 08:19 pm »

Correction: launch was set for 19.55 UTC.

B. Hendrickx · « **Reply #10 on:** 10/14/2022 08:46 pm »

Insider says launch has been scrubbed for today. Another attempt tomorrow at the same time.

russianhalo117 · « **Reply #11 on:** 10/15/2022 12:36 am »

Quote from: russianhalo117 on 10/15/2022 12:34 am

October 15 (288:19:00:55.xxx) - Kosmos-2560 (EMKA/MKA-EO №3) – Angara-A1.2/AM (17603/2L) – Plesetsk, 35/1
Paywall: http://russianspaceweb.com/protected/angara1-2-flight2.html

Vahe231991 · « **Reply #12 on:** 10/15/2022 07:56 pm »

https://twitter.com/nkknspace/status/1581300371846180864

B. Hendrickx · « **Reply #13 on:** 10/15/2022 07:58 pm »

Liftoff confirmed.

Vahe231991 · « **Reply #14 on:** 10/15/2022 08:05 pm »

I would hope that the Kosmos 2560 satellite avoids the failures experienced by the Kosmos 2555 in orbit because the latter spacecraft was assigned to the first orbital launch of the Angara 1.2 variant.

B. Hendrickx · « **Reply #15 on:** 10/15/2022 08:19 pm »

Precise liftoff time was 19.55.15.411 UTC. First two stages seem to have worked as expected. Waiting for the burn of the AM upper stage. Most likely, the satellite will be separated after that burn, not before it as during last April's Angara launch. Should end up in a higher orbit than the satellite orbited in April.

input~2 · « **Reply #16 on:** 10/15/2022 08:22 pm »

https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/16067467

Kosmos-2560 confirmed

B. Hendrickx · « **Reply #17 on:** 10/15/2022 08:33 pm »

Quote from: input~2 on 10/15/2022 08:22 pm

https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/16067467

Kosmos-2560 confirmed

Usually that information comes only after the satellite has separated. The NK insider says separation will occur shortly before midnight Moscow time (21.00 UTC). So it looks like the Ministry of Defense has jumped the gun with the announcement of the satellite name.

B. Hendrickx · « **Reply #18 on:** 10/15/2022 08:44 pm »

Quote from: Vahe231991 on 10/15/2022 08:05 pm

I would hope that the Kosmos 2560 satellite avoids the failures experienced by the Kosmos 2255 in orbit because the latter spacecraft was assigned to the first orbital launch of the Angara 1.2 variant.

I suppose you mean Kosmos-2555. It's not because it didn't maneuver that it was a failure. Kosmos-2551 performed exactly the same type of mission last year. It's unlikely both suffered exactly the same failure. This may well have been their intended mission.

russianhalo117 · « **Reply #19 on:** 10/15/2022 09:26 pm »

Quote from: B. Hendrickx on 10/15/2022 08:44 pm

Quote from: Vahe231991 on 10/15/2022 08:05 pm
I would hope that the Kosmos 2560 satellite avoids the failures experienced by the Kosmos 2255 in orbit because the latter spacecraft was assigned to the first orbital launch of the Angara 1.2 variant.

I suppose you mean Kosmos-2555. It's not because it didn't maneuver that it was a failure. Kosmos-2551 performed exactly the same type of mission last year. It's unlikely both suffered exactly the same failure. This may well have been their intended mission.

Per Anatoly Zak's website this is the third and expected final flight of an MKA-EO prototype flight model. They are non propulsive free flyers. Only the first was stated to be a confirmed failure that was likely either dead on arrival or by the second orbit after battery depletion since it per other sources did call home shortly after separation.

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=56635.msg2419665#msg2419665