Soyuz-2.1a/Fregat - Kondor-FKA №1 - Vostochny - 26 May 2023 - 21:14:51.123 UTC

[jcm]

Space-Track is calling this object COSMOS 2569 although I can't find any Russian news releases using this name for it.

[zubenelgenubi]

Is the satellite alive?  There should be two objects in orbit, the Kondor and the Fregat upper stage?

Whatever the exact function of the frame, it adds an additional risk factor to the launch. If it fails to open or separate after launch, the satellite will be trapped.   

Animation shown during the live webcast confirms that the frame enveloping the satellite consists of two halves that will split open, following which the satellite will be deployed. The frame remains attached to the Fregat upper stage.

CelesTrak has GP data for 1 object from the launch (2023-074) of Kondor-FKA No. 1 atop a Soyuz-2.1a rocket from Vostochny Cosmodrome on May 26 at 2114 UTC: tass.com/science/1623799. Data for the launch can be found at: https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/table.php?INTDES=2023-074 [May 27]

[russianhalo117]

Is the satellite alive?  There should be two objects in orbit, the Kondor and the Fregat upper stage?

Whatever the exact function of the frame, it adds an additional risk factor to the launch. If it fails to open or separate after launch, the satellite will be trapped.   

Animation shown during the live webcast confirms that the frame enveloping the satellite consists of two halves that will split open, following which the satellite will be deployed. The frame remains attached to the Fregat upper stage.

CelesTrak has GP data for 1 object from the launch (2023-074) of Kondor-FKA No. 1 atop a Soyuz-2.1a rocket from Vostochny Cosmodrome on May 26 at 2114 UTC: tass.com/science/1623799. Data for the launch can be found at: https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/table.php?INTDES=2023-074 [May 27]

It was to perform a typical SSO disposal trajectory for a satellite massef for Rockot. The change in launch vehicle was solely Ukrainan flight control system hardware being off limits and its Rokot-M replacement not being ready to fly ar minimum the first two satellites.

[jcm]

Is the satellite alive?  There should be two objects in orbit, the Kondor and the Fregat upper stage?

Whatever the exact function of the frame, it adds an additional risk factor to the launch. If it fails to open or separate after launch, the satellite will be trapped.   

Animation shown during the live webcast confirms that the frame enveloping the satellite consists of two halves that will split open, following which the satellite will be deployed. The frame remains attached to the Fregat upper stage.

CelesTrak has GP data for 1 object from the launch (2023-074) of Kondor-FKA No. 1 atop a Soyuz-2.1a rocket from Vostochny Cosmodrome on May 26 at 2114 UTC: tass.com/science/1623799. Data for the launch can be found at: https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/table.php?INTDES=2023-074 [May 27]

I assume the Fregat was deorbited,probably west of Chile. The object still in orbit is Kondor.

[Nicolas PILLET]

Space-Track is calling this object COSMOS 2569 although I can't find any Russian news releases using this name for it.

No, the official name is "Kondor-FKA n°1".

I guess the bearing structure of the satellite should also be tracked...

[gwiz]

I guess the bearing structure of the satellite should also be tracked...

Think it was supposed to hinge back from satellite, but remain attached to Fregat.

[B. Hendrickx]

The RIA Novosti news agency quotes an "informed source" as saying that Kondor-FKA will assist Russia in its war against Ukraine. It makes two passes over Ukraine each day and can make radar images of "Ukrainian military objects" with a resolution of 1 meter. The source says the satellite can, for instance, monitor "enemy troop concentrations, transport of technical systems and erection of new fortifications" irrespective of the time of day or the weather.

Officially, Kondor-FKA is a civilian satellite ordered by Roskosmos, but in the current circumstances it may well become a dual-purpose satellite. The only other positively identified Russian radar satellite currently in orbit is Kosmos-2550 (Pion-NKS), but this is mainly intended to provide targeting data for anti-ship missiles. However, it is quite likely that Kosmos-2553 (Neitron) is also a military radar satellite. Like Kondor-FKA, this is a product of NPO Mashinostroyeniya and appears to use the Kondor bus. In fact, it may have been used to test various new systems flown aboard Kondor-FKA. Kosmos-2553 does circle the globe in a significantly higher orbit (about 2000 km) inclined 67° to the equator.