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VOSTOCHNY COSMODROME, Russia (Sputnik) – A Soyuz-2.1b rocket with a Fregat upper stage carrying the Meteor-M hydrometeorological satellite, 17 Russian and one Iranian small satellites took off during the first launch from the Vostochny cosmodrome in 2024, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Thursday.
The rocket was launched as planned at 08:43 Moscow time (05:43 GMT). In 9 minutes 23 seconds, it will launch the upper stage with satellites into low Earth orbit. After this, the Fregat will turn on its propulsion system twice and deliver the Meteor-M satellite to the target orbit at an altitude of 820 kilometers (509.5 miles).
The separation of the satellite is expected 59 minutes 46 seconds after the launch.
