Molniya-3
Molniya-M 2BL
Progress Rocket Space Center
Mission
Molniya-3
- Type: Communications
- Orbit: Geosynchronous Orbit
The Molniya-3 group of four satellites was used to create the Orbita communications system for northern regions of the Soviet Union. The land segment used a 12 m diameter parabolic antenna, pointed automatically at the satellite using autonomous electromechanical equipment. Although primarily for civilian applications, later versions were part of the Soviet YeSSS Unified Satellite Communications System. Trials of this version began in the 1980's, with the system being accepted by the military in 1983-1985.
Location
43/4 (43R)
Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation
43/4 (43R) has witnessed the launch of 323 rockets, including 323 orbital launch attempts. While Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation, has been the site for 1672 rocket launches.
Plesetsk Cosmodrome is a Russian spaceport located in Mirny, Arkhangelsk Oblast, about 800 km north of Moscow and approximately 200 km south of Arkhangelsk. Originally developed as an ICBM site for the R-7 missile, it also served for numerous satellite launches using the R-7 and other rockets. Its high latitude makes it useful only for certain types of launches, especially the Molniya orbits, so for much of the site's history it functioned as a secondary location, with most orbital launches taking place from Baikonur, in the Kazakh SSR. With the end of the Soviet Union, Baikonur became a foreign territory, and Kazakhstan charged $115 million usage fees annually. Consequently, Plesetsk has seen considerably more activity since the 2000s.
Rocket
Russian Space Forces Molniya-M 2BL
Agency
Progress Rocket Space Center
Progress Rocket Space Centre, formerly known as TsSKB-Progress, is a space science and aerospace research company which is known for manufacturing launch vehicles and satellites. Most notably, Progress Rocket Space Centre is the manufacturer of Soyuz launch vehicles.
