NEXT SPACEFLIGHT

Status

Success

Cosmos 2503

Launch Time
Fri Feb 27, 2015 11:01 UTC

Rocket

Soyuz 2.1a
Image Credit: Roscosmos
VKS RF
Status: Active
Price: $17.42 million
Liftoff Thrust: 4,550 kN
Payload to LEO: 7,500 kg
Payload to GTO: 0 kg
Stages: 3
Strap-ons: 4
Rocket Height: 51.38 m
Fairing Diameter: 4.11 m
Fairing Height: 15.59 m

Mission Details

Cosmos 2503

The Bars-M (14F148) satellite is a new electro-optical area surveillance satellite to replace the film-return Yantar-1KFT (Kometa) series and the cancelled Bars (17F112) series.

Bars-M is the second incarnation of the Bars project, which was started in the mid 1990ies to develop a successor for the Komtea class of area surveillance satellites. The original Bars project was halted in the early 2000s. In 2007, TsSKB-Progress was contracted for Bars-M, for which reportedly the Yantar-based service module was replaced by a new developed advanced service module.

The Bars-M satellites feature an electro-optical camera system called Karat, which is developed and built by the Leningrad Optical Mechanical Association (LOMO),and a dual laser altimeter instrument to deliver topographic imagery, stereo images, altimeter data and high-resolution images with a ground resolution around 1 meter.

The satellite uses a propulsion system called SVIT in a non-pressurized service module, which hints a departure from the Yantar satellite bus. A weight of about 4000 kg has been reported. They are planned to operate for 5 years in orbit.

Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 4,000.0 kg
Low Earth Orbit

Location

Site 43/4, Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia

Stats

2015

10th orbital launch attempt

Soyuz 2.1a

21st mission
1st mission of 2015
20th successful mission
17th consecutive successful mission