Iridium 27 to 33

Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Communications

Low Earth Orbit 81/23 (81L) Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan

Iridium provides global mobile telecommunications services using a constellation of 66 low earth orbit satellites in a 86.4° inclined orbit. Although 77 satellites were originally envisioned for the system and spawned the name based on the 77th element in the periodic table, the system has been scaled back. Motorola's Satellite Communications Group designed and manufactured the Iridium satellites with Lockheed Martin providing the LM-700A spacecraft buses.

Proton-K/17S40

Family:
Configuration: 17S40

The Proton-K was a Russian, previously Soviet, carrier rocket derived from the earlier Proton. It was built by Khrunichev, and launched from sites 81 and 200 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Specifications
  • Stages
    4
  • Length
    59.0 m
  • Diameter
    4.15 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    4.15 m
  • Launch Mass
    708 T
  • Thrust
    8847 kN
Family
  • Name
    Proton-K/17S40
  • Family
  • Variant
    17S40
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Proton-K/17S40
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
  • Low Earth Orbit
    6000 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center

Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center

(KhSC)

Director: Andrey Vladimirovich Kalinovskiy Founded: 1916 Successes: 179 Failures: 15 Pending: 1

Agency Type:

Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center is a Moscow-based producer of spacecraft and space-launch systems, including the Proton and Rokot rockets and is currently developing the Angara rocket family. The Proton launch vehicle launches from Baikonur and Rokot launches from Baikonur and Plesetsk. Angara will launch from Plesetsk and Vostochny.

INFO WIKI

Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan

81/23 (81L)


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