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The Soyuz-2.1b rocket with heliophysical satellites launched from Vostochny
The Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with the Fregat booster block, carrying two Ionosfera-M heliogeographic satellites and 53 associated Russian and foreign-made spacecraft, was successfully launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome. The launch took place on the 1C website, and the broadcast was conducted by the press service of the Roscosmos state enterprise.
Nine minutes and 30 seconds after the launch, the rocket's head separated from the third stage and began to launch the main satellites 1 and 2 "Ionosfera-M" into a sun-synchronous orbit. Within an hour, the satellite will enter the planned orbit and begin monitoring space weather and the state of the ionosphere.
The Ionosonde complex, which includes these satellites, is designed to monitor the heliogeographic situation, including monitoring the level of ozone and radiation in the upper layers of the atmosphere.
The current launch involves 28 satellites of the Russian company Sputniki, which is a record for domestic cosmonauts in terms of the number of satellites launched simultaneously. In April 2025, we plan to launch two more Ionosfera-M satellites to complete the monitoring system setup.
Earlier, the Aerospace Forces successfully launched the Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. Its purpose was to launch space satellites in the interests of the Russian Defense Ministry.