Tag: Russian Ministry of Defense

  • U.S. officials say Russia tested a new anti-satellite weapon

    File photo of Gen. John “Jay” Raymond, head of U.S. Space Command and Chief of Space Operations at the U.S. Space Force. Credit: U.S. Air Force U.S. and British government officials said Thursday they have evidence that Russia tested a space-based anti-satellite weapon, citing an event July 15 when analysts say a Russian military satellite…

  • Soyuz rocket launches Russian military satellite after one-month delay

    Video credit: Russian Ministry of Defense A Russian military communications satellite rode a Soyuz rocket and Fregat upper stage Thursday into an orbit stretching nearly 25,000 miles (40,000 kilometers) above Earth, successfully launching after a one-month delay to replace a suspect third stage on the Soyuz booster. The Soyuz-2.1a rocket lifted off with a Meridian…

  • Russia launches space surveillance satellite

    EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated Nov. 26 with video and orbital elements.  A modified Soyuz rocket delivered a top secret Russian military payload into orbit Monday from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia, according to the country’s defense ministry. The mission lifted off from the Site 43 launch complex at Plesetsk at 1752 GMT (12:52 p.m. EST;…

  • Russia launches military communications satellite

    A Soyuz-2.1a booster lifts off Tuesday from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome with a Russian military Meridian communications satellite. Credit: Roscosmos A Russian military satellite rocketed into orbit Tuesday on top of a Soyuz launcher from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome to provide communications coverage over Russia’s polar regions. The Meridian relay satellite lifted off at 0556 GMT (1:56…

  • Mysterious Russian reconnaissance satellite successfully launched

    A small spacecraft built for the Russian military lifted off Thursday on top of a modified Soyuz booster, beginning a mission to reportedly test a compact Earth-imaging platform that could be used on future spy satellites. The lightweight payload rode a Soyuz 2-1v rocket into orbit from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, a space base around 500…

  • Replenishment satellite launched into Russia’s Glonass navigation fleet

    A Soyuz rocket added a new satellite to Russia’s Glonass navigation network Friday with an on-target delivery nearly 12,000 miles above Earth. The fresh Glonass M spacecraft replaces a defunct satellite launched nearly 11 years ago, sustaining the Glonass system’s near-global reach for the Russian military. A Soyuz-2.1b rocket lifted off at 0002:32 GMT Friday…

  • Soyuz launcher puts Russian military spy satellite in orbit

    The Soyuz rocket carrying Russia’s second Bars-M military spy satellite lifted off at 0942 GMT (5:42 a.m. EDT; 12:42 p.m. local time) Thursday. Credit: Russian Ministry of Defense A Russian military spacecraft with a high-resolution digital mapping camera is in orbit Thursday after a successful ascent aboard a Soyuz rocket. The Soyuz-2.1a rocket lifted off…

  • Russian data relay satellite launched by Proton rocket

    File photo of a Proton rocket launch. Credit: Roscosmos A secretive Russian military communications satellite arrived in geostationary orbit Sunday after a successful liftoff aboard a Proton rocket, the Russian defense ministry said. The Garpun communications satellite blasted off at 0019 GMT Sunday (7:19 p.m. EST Saturday) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and it…

  • Russian reconnaissance satellite re-enters atmosphere

    Russia’s Soyuz 2-1v rocket blasted off at 1409 GMT (9:09 a.m. EST) Saturday from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia. Credit: Russian Ministry of Defense A Russian satellite burned up in Earth’s atmosphere Tuesday, less than three days after it failed to deploy from its rocket after reaching orbit, according to tracking data released by…

  • New Russian military satellite declared lost

    Russia’s Soyuz 2-1v rocket blasted off at 1409 GMT (9:09 a.m. EST) Saturday from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia. Credit: Russian Ministry of Defense A Russian defense payload built to monitor maritime activity, and possibly track the movements of submarines, is stuck to the upper stage of its rocket after launching Saturday from the…