Proton-M Carrier for Launching Next Meteorology Satellite Sent to Baikonur - Space Center

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st November, 2019) Russia's Proton-M carrier rocket, which will place into orbit the Elektro-L No.3 meteorological satellite in late December, has been sent from Moscow to the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan, the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center (part of the Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos) said on Friday.

According to materials of the insurance company Ingosstrakh, the Proton-M carrier rocket with Blok DM-03 upper stage, loaded with Elektro-L No.3 satellite, would be launched from the Baikonur spaceport on December 24.

"On the night into November 1, a railroad train carrying units of the Proton-M carrier rocket, the upper stage and the nose cone was sent to the Baikonur spaceport," the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center said in a statement on its website.

A full-size simulator of the Breeze-M upper stage has also been sent to the spaceport, the center added. It will be used for comprehensive tests of Breeze-M's fuel service unit.

The Elektro-L No.1 satellite was launched from the Baikonur spaceport in 2011. In 2016, it broke down and was removed from the constellation. The Elektro-L No.2 satellite was orbited in 2015. The launches of the Elektro-L No.4 and No.5 are slated for 2021 and 2022 respectively.

The Elektro satellites are used to swiftly provide the Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, the Russian Defense Ministry and other agencies with weather forecasts, to analyze flight conditions and to engage in climate and emergency monitoring.