Meridian 1
Meridian 1, also known as Meridian 11L is a Russian communications satellite. It was the first satellite to be launched as part of the Meridian system, which will replace the older Molniya series.
Meridian 1 was the first Russian Government satellite to be launched by a Soyuz-2 rocket. The Soyuz-2.1a configuration was used, along with a Fregat upper stage. The launch occurred from Site 43/4 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome at 08:34:44 GMT on 24 December 2006.[1]
It was constructed by NPO-PM and is believed to be based on the Uragan-M satellite bus,[2] which has also been used for GLONASS navigation satellites. It operates in a Molniya orbit with a perigee of 900 kilometres (560 mi), an apogee of 39,000 kilometres (24,000 mi), and 65° inclination.[2]
References
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
- ^ a b Krebs, Gunter. "Meridian (14F112)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
 | This spacecraft or satellite related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |