Launch Of Russia's Meridian-M Military Satellite Scheduled For February 9 - Source

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th January, 2020) The launch of the Soyuz-2 carrier rocket with a Meridian-M military communications satellite from the Plesetsk space center that was previously postponed due to technical problems has been tentatively scheduled for February 9, a source from the space center told Sputnik on Sunday.

On Friday, a Russian space industry source said that the launch of Meridian-M was postponed indefinitely from January 24 due to problems with the third stage of the rocket, which required the return of Soyuz-2 to the assembly and testing facility.

"The problem arose in the cable network of the third stage of the launch vehicle. Due to the difficulty of troubleshooting and elimination of malfunctions at the launch pad, the rocket was removed from the launch and sent to the assembly and testing facility," the source said.

According to the source, the preliminary launch date is February 9.

"However, if the problem with the cable network cannot be eliminated, then a new third stage will have to be delivered to Plesetsk," the source added.

Meridian satellites are designed for enabling communication between sea vessels and ice reconnaissance aircraft, and coastal and ground stations in the area of the Northern Sea Route. The satellites are also capable of expanding the capacities of the satellite communications network in Russia's Siberia and the Far East in the interests of the country's economic development.