Angara-A5/Briz-M - Kosmos-2589 [14F166A] - Plesetsk - June 19, 2025 (03:45 UTC)

[zubenelgenubi]

An Angara-A5/Briz-M launch campaign is underway in Plesetsk; the identity of the payload is as yet unknown, but it is not a mass simulator!

Cross-posts

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Plesetsk today. Photos and a video on the website of the Ministry of Defense:
https://function.mil.ru/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12510298@egNews

Shoigu was shown parts of Angara-A5 and Angara-1.2 rockets in the Angara assembly building. He said that three Angara launches are planned for this year. He can be heard asking whether they will carry "real" payloads, to which he gets a positive answer.

A few screenshots from the video:
-an Angara-A5 first stage
-an Angara 1.2
-an Angara third stage
-an upper composite (apparently for Angara 1.2)

[Screen captures also cross-posted]

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Plesetsk today.
https://function.mil.ru/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12510298@egNews

Highlights:
-three Angara launches planned from Plesetsk this year (not specified which types)
-modernized Rokot booster to make its debut in December
-modernization of a second Soyuz pad has been finished, making it possible to double launch capacity

But we can see that :

- one Angara-A5 is at assembly stage
- one Briz-M stage is readied.
- one Angara-1.2 is there (by the way we can see the AM stage for the first time), not yet integrated
- the upper part of an Angara-1.2 is already assembled. Since it seems to wait in the MIK, it is possible that it was assembled only for training purpose, without real satellite inside.
- two Soyuz-2 are there, not yet integrated, but with many people working one one of them.

My guess is that we will have one Angara-XX and one Soyuz-2 launches in the coming weeks.

Edit/add: Two Angara-A5M/Briz-M launches from Plesetsk scheduled this year.

Planned Russian space launches
(suborbital launches are not included!)

2024
UTC Date (Format: DDD:HH:MM:SS:MS) – Satellite(s) – Rocket/Upper stage – Cosmodrome (Site/Pad) - Remarks

NET Q2 (xxx:xx:xx:xx.xxx) - TBD - Angara-A5M/Briz-M (7175x/88803 (885xx)) – Plesetsk 35/1

NET December (xxx:xx:xx:xx.xxx) - Kosmos (Tundra №7 (Kupol)) - Angara-A5M/DM-03 (71754/2Л) – Plesetsk 35/1

TBD (xxx:xx:xx:xx.xxx) - TBD - Angara-A5M/Briz-M (7175x/88804 (885xx)) – Plesetsk 35/1

TBD (xxx:xx:xx:xx.xxx) - TBD - Angara-A5/DM-03 (71758/3Л) - Plesetsk, 35/1

TBD (xxx:xx:xx:xx.xxx) - Kosmos - Angara-A5/DM-03 (71756/6Л) - Plesetsk, 35/1

TBD (xxx:xx:xx:xx.xxx) - Kosmos - Angara-A5/DM-03 (71757/7Л) - Plesetsk, 35/1

TBD (xxx:xx:xx:xx.xxx) - Kosmos (Repey-S №11L) - Angara-A5M/DM-03 (729x/xЛ) – Plesetsk 35/1

TBD (xxx:xx:xx:xx.xxx) - Kosmos (Repey-V №11L) - Angara-A5M/DM-03 (729x/xЛ) – Plesetsk 35/1

TBD (xxx:xx:xx:xx.xxx) - Kosmos (Sfera-S №11L) - Angara-A5M/DM-03 (729xx/x) – Plesetsk 35/1

TBD (xxx:xx:xx:xx.xxx) - Kosmos (Sfera-V №11L) - Angara-A5M/DM-03 (729xx/x) – Plesetsk 35/1

Change Log:
Changes from April 11

[B. Hendrickx]

An insider on the NK forum says this launch is planned for June 8. The payload may be an ISS Reshetnev satellite designated 14F166. More on that in this thread:

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=60120.0

[MateAguado22]

An insider on the NK forum says this launch is planned for June 8. The payload may be an ISS Reshetnev satellite designated 14F166. More on that in this thread:

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=60120.0

Hi! Is this launch still planned for June 08? Haven't heard news recently

[B. Hendrickx]

Hi! Is this launch still planned for June 08? Haven't heard news recently

A usually well informed source on a Russian space forum hinted on May 20 that two Russian military launches would take place in the following two weeks. The first one occurred on May 23 (Kosmos-2588) and the second one is most likely the Angara-A5 launch. Shortly after the Kosmos-2588 launch he wrote that the second launch would occur "in a couple of weeks", so there may have been a slight delay.

[Satori]

Obviously, no going on June 8.

[Alter Sachse]

Obviously, no going on June 8.

There were no signs of a launch (today)

[owais.usmani]

Well if the launch is imminent we would first be seeing the NOTAMs right?
No NOTAM issued means launch date still TBD.

[Nicolas PILLET]

Look at this wonderful website !

https://www.kosmonavtika.com/lancements/2025/2025.html

[Satori]

Look at this wonderful website !

https://www.kosmonavtika.com/lancements/2025/2025.html

One of the best! Thank you, Nicolas!

[B. Hendrickx]

The June 19 launch date is now confirmed by an impact warning issued for the Tomsk region in Siberia.
https://ngs70.ru/text/gorod/2025/06/09/75566231/?ysclid=mbowwp4zko298925534

This is the standard impact zone for the second stage and payload fairing of Angara-A5. The first stage comes down in the Komi Republic (see the attached map). The launch time is given as 6 a.m. Moscow time (3.00 UTC). It's not clear if this is an exact or an approximate launch time.

This launch azimuth results in a low parking orbit with an inclination of 63°, the first in a series of steps to deliver the payload to geostationary orbit.   

[B. Hendrickx]

https://kolpashevskij-r69.gosweb.gosuslugi.ru/dlya-zhiteley/novosti-i-reportazhi/novosti_609.html

Here is a more detailed map of the drop zone in the Tomsk region published by local authorities today. The black ellipse is the impact zone for the second stage and the blue ellipse is the impact zone for the payload fairing.  They are almost identical.

[B. Hendrickx]

A NOTAM has appeared for third stage impact:

NOTAMN A2653/25 NOTAMN Q) KZAK/QWMLW////000/999/
A) KZAK
B) 2506190230
C) 2506280400
D) DLY 0230-0400
E) THE RUSSIAN AEROSPACE FORCES PLANS TO CONDUCT ROCKET FIRINGS. IMPACT AREA WI THE OAKLAND ARTCC OCEANIC FIR IS: WI AN AREA DEFINED AS 053300N1333100E TO 055700N1342000E TO 091400N1324800E TO 085000N1315600E TO POINT OF ORIGIN. FOR FLT SAFETY ATC WILL NOT CLEAR IFR FLT THRU THE IMPACT AREA.
 F) SFC
G) UNL
Effective date: 2025-06-19 02:30:00 until 2025-06-28 04:00:00 (UTC)

Although the NOTAM window extends to June 28, only June 20 has been given as a back-up launch date by Russian authorities.

The impact area is in the Philippines Sea and is very close to the one announced for the Angara-A5/Briz-M launch from Plesetsk in December 2020. The third stage impact zone for the Angara-A5/Persei launch in December 2021 was much farther to the south, east of New Zealand. So this looks like confirmation that the upper stage for this launch is indeed Briz-M.

The attached map is from a report assessing the environmental impact of Angara-A5/Briz-M launches carrying 14F166(A) satellites. Here the third stage impact zone is about 10° north of the one given in the NOTAM. 14F166A still looks like the best candidate for this launch based on what is known about the level of readiness of payloads for Angara-A5/Briz-M. When the report was published in early 2023, the first launch of this satellite was expected before the end of that year. A further sign that 14F166A is the payload for this mission would be its insertion into geostationary orbit via a supersynchronous transfer orbit. See the 14F166(A) thread:
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=60120.0

As explained there, the project seems to involve not only ISS Reshetnev, but also CNIIHM. This may indicate that one of its goals is inspection of other satellites in geostationary orbit.

[B. Hendrickx]

An impact warning has been issued for residents of the Komi Republic, the drop zone for the first-stage boosters.
https://komiinform.ru/news/281908
The launch window is given here as 2.30-4.00 UTC (as in the NOTAM for the third stage), with back-up launch opportunities from June 20 until June 29. The rocket is designated "Angara-A5.3L", but this was the name that the Komi authorities gave to the Angara-A5 launched from Plesetsk in December 2021. I understand these are the serial numbers of the Angara-A5 rockets flown from Plesetsk so far:

-December 2014: 71751 (N°1L)
-December 2020: 71752 (N°2L)
-December 2021: 71753 (N°3L)

This one should be 71754 (N°4L). Тhe vehicle flown from Vostochnyy last year had serial number 72901 and the mock-up that was used for launch pad tests at Vostochnyy had number 72472.

NOTAMs also appeared early Sunday for pilots in the Tomsk region, the impact zone for the second stage:

NOTAM J9650/25 AIRSPACE CLSD WI AREA:
valid from Wednesday, June 18, 2025 at 02:30 to Monday, June 23, 2025 at 04:00
AIRSPACE CLSD WI AREA:
595400N0824100E-591500N0851500E-585000N0845000E-592800N0821600E-595400N0824100E

Issued on Sunday, June 15, 2025 at 08:15

NOTAM J9639/25 ATS RTE SEGMENTS CLSD:
valid from Wednesday, June 18, 2025 at 02:30 to Monday, June 23, 2025 at 04:00
ATS RTE SEGMENTS CLSD:
A302 AMATA-LIKOT FL065-FL540,
B809 MAKSIMKIN YAR NDB(CE)-TOGBA FL065-FL540,
R496 SOTIM-MAKSIMKIN YAR NDB(CE) FL145-FL265,
T631 SOTIM-MAKSIMKIN YAR NDB(CE) FL265-FL540.

Issued on Sunday, June 15, 2025 at 05:45

Maksimkin Yar is a small airport in the Tomsk region.
Strangely enough, the opening of the window is given here as June 18 instead of June 19. I presume this is a mistake (but one that could have significant consequences if it leads to the closure of airspace one day early).

[Alter Sachse]

"the mock-up that was used for launch pad tests at Vostochnyy had number 72472."

In my list I have 71472.

[See reply: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=3321.msg2694388#msg2694388]

[B. Hendrickx]

https://www.militarynews.ru/story.asp?rid=1&nid=647515&lang=RU

Successful liftoff of Angara-A5 reported with satellites (plural) for the Ministry of Defense.

[Alter Sachse]

Photos from Telegram.
I don't know if they are from today's launch.

[owais.usmani]

That looks like Blok-D type upper stage doesn't it?

If it is then its not today's launch.

Also was it daytime in Plesetsk during today's launch? Shouldn't 03:00 UTC be dawn or twilight there?

[B. Hendrickx]

Photos from Telegram.
I don't know if they are from today's launch.

They are. Here's some footage showing the launch from different angles:
https://dzen.ru/video/watch/6853c6682f215f00213e8b43

[owais.usmani]

Oh ok, I misunderstood. That is the Angara 3rd stage. Briz-M would be inside the fairing I suppose. 

[Nicolas PILLET]

It is definitely a Briz-M upper stage (a Block D type upper stage would add another section between third stage and fairing). And it is pictures from today launch, since it is the first daytime launch from Plesetsk.