Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat - 3 Gonets-M blok №18, Skif-D - Vostochny - 22 Oct 22 19:57UTC

[Alter Sachse]

Do we have updated TLEs ?

Do we know if the Block I and Fregat have deorbited ?

At CelesTrak only 3 objects
no Fregat, no Skif-D



https://www.orbitalfocus.uk/Diaries/Launches/Launches.php?year=2022

Quote:
"Fregat stage uncatalogued
Retro-fire, probably at about 00:15 UTC, would have led to destructive re-entry above the eastern Pacific Ocean Oct 23 at about 01:00 UTC."

[Alter Sachse]

The launch was 10 days ago, Skif has not been found yet.
Was Skif-D really separated...
or did it burn up with the Fregat ?

[Nicolas PILLET]

The launch was 10 days ago, Skif has not been found yet.
Was Skif-D really separated...
or did it burn up with the Fregat ?

Center IPM Keldysh published a picture of the separation, seen from Crimea !

[Alter Sachse]

Skif is reported to have separated at 0:04 UTC. Can Fregat have been visible over the Crimea at this time ?
I do not know.

[B. Hendrickx]

Skif-D, which has still not been catalogued by the US, has now been officially included by Russia in the United Nations Register of Objects Launched into Outer Space.

https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/V22/182/45/PDF/V2218245.pdf?OpenElement

It was placed into an 8,071.5 x 8,076.5 km orbit with an inclination of 90.0°. The three Gonets-M satellites that rode to space with Skif-D are in roughly 1,500 km orbits with an inclination of 82°, so the Fregat upper stage changed the inclination by about 8°.

[B. Hendrickx]

Skif-D as well as the Fregat upper stage have now finally been catalogued (see the screenshot from SpaceTrack.org). It's not clear why this has taken so long. In the past two weeks or so radio amateurs have picked up signals from the satellite at 435.566 MHz and it has been photographed by a camera in Chile operated by Slingshot Aerospace (picture attached).

Meanwhile, an ISS Reshetnev official said in an interview recently that Skif-D is not yet being used for any practical applications. It is merely a technology demonstrator used for communication tests with ground control. It would actually appear from his comments that it was quickly thrown together to meet a deadline imposed by the International Telecommunications Union to preserve frequency slots for the operational constellation. 

According to the official, the operational Skif satellites will be much bigger and heavier, so Skif-D (which weighs just 148 kg) seems to have a unique one-off design. He said the first six satellites are expected to be launched by late 2025/mid-2026, but one wonders if this a realistic goal. The design will not be finished until next year and while the Soyuz-2-1b/Fregat has been selected as the launch vehicle, it is not yet clear if it will be powerful enough to launch pairs of satellites, which is the preferred option. The official also said that no contractors have been assigned yet to build the Internet ground terminals. All in all, the operational satellites still seem to be in an early stage of development. Further problems could be caused by Western sanctions affecting the import of foreign electronic components, although the official stressed that the amount of such components used by Skif-D has been reduced to a minimum.