MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th October, 2018) The launch of the Russian Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket with two Kanopus-V satellites from the Russian Far East Vostochny Cosmodrome will be held on December 25 instead of December 26, a source in the aerospace industry told Sputnik on Thursday.
On September 9, a source told Sputnik that the launch of the Soyuz-2.1a might be rescheduled for 2019 if the spacecraft manufacturer did not receive the satellite-borne equipment in time.
"A launch of the Soyuz-2.1a rocket, with the Fregat upper stage, carrying Kanopus-V number 5 and number 6 remote sensing satellites and several small satellites, from Vostochny Cosmodrome is scheduled for December 25," the source said.
Soyuz-2.1a was brought to Vostochny on June 18, while Fregat, which is currently under construction, is expected to be brought to the spaceport in early November. The satellites will be transported to Vostochny in mid-November.
The launch of the Kanopus satellites will become the fourth launch from the newly-built spaceport in the Russian Far East.
Kanopus-V satellites are designed to monitor disasters, major fallouts of hazardous substances, agricultural activities, and the use of mineral resources.
