Russia’s Soyuz rocket lifts off with 73 satellites from Kazakhstan

On July 14, 2017, Russian Soyuz Rocket lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and deployed 73 satellites into three different orbits. The launch was the largest number of satellites flown on a single Russian rocket, and the second most on any single launch after the February 2017 launch of an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle carrying 104 satellites.

Details of Satellites launched by Russia’s Soyuz Rocket:

The satellites were launched by Glavkosmos, a subsidiary of the Russian space agency, Roscosmos.

• The largest payload is named Kanopus-V-IK, a Russian government satellite equipped with Earth-viewing cameras to map the planet in colour to aid emergency responders, crop managers and environmental scientists. The Kanopus-V-IK satellite weighs approximately 500 kilograms.
• Among the secondary payloads were 48 Dove satellites from Planet, completing the company’s initial constellation of remote sensing CubeSats (type of miniaturized satellite for space research that is made up of multiples of 10×10×10 cm cubic units).
• The secondary payloads included eight Lemur satellites for Spire, a company deploying a constellation for collecting GPS radio occultation and ship tracking data. The rocket also carried the first three CICERO GPS radio occultation satellites for GeoOptics and the first two Corvus-BC medium-resolution imaging cubesats for Astro Digital.
• Other SmallSats (satellites of low mass and size) flying as secondary payloads included satellites from several nations, some built by Russian universities or for the Russian state space corporation Roscosmos. The Space Flight Laboratory at the University of Toronto built two NORsat SmallSats for the Norwegian Space Center that carry ship tracking, communications and space science payloads.

Facts about Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities:

Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities is the governmental body responsible for the space science program of Russia and general aerospace

• It was established in year 1992.
• Headquarters of Roscosmos is located in Moscow.
• Igor Komarov is the current Administrator of Roscosmos.