Satellite News

Rocket: Rokot/Briz-KM; Payload: three Rodnik satellites [Kosmos-2488, Kosmos-2489, Kosmos-2490]; Date: 25 December 2013, 0031 UTC; Launch site: Plesetsk, Russia. The three military satellites have reached their target orbit, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said.

Rocket: Proton M/Briz M; Payload: Ekspress AM5; Date: 26 December 2013, 1049 UTC; Launch site: Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Separation of the satellite from the upper stage took place at 2012 UTC, the inofficial RussianSpaceWeb.com web site reported.

The first test launch of the new Russian light rocket Soyuz-2.1v (aka Soyuz ‘light’) from the Plesetsk cosmodrome has been postponed until 27 December.