MOSCOW. Dec 25 (Interfax-AVN) - A Proton-K heavy carrier rocket, launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome, has put three satellites into basic orbit, the press service of the Russian Space Forces told Interfax-Military News Agency on Wednesday.
"The goal of the launch is to replenish the orbital grouping of the GLONASS global navigation satellite system," a spokesman for the Russian Space Forces said.
He also said that the launch was carried out by combat crews of the Russian Space Forces. After the launch they monitor the flight of the carrier rocket and the placing of the booster containing the three satellites in a basic orbit, and subsequently guide the booster until it reaches its target orbit.
The rocket is to put the booster in a calculated circular orbit at 10:48 a.m. Moscow time (0748 GMT).
The satellites will subsequently be but in a transitional orbit and then into a target orbit with the help of the booster's engines.
The satellites are to be separated from the booster from 2:35 p.m. to 3:11 p.m. Moscow time (1135 to 1211 GMT).
The three-stage modification of the Proton-K heavy carrier rocket is used for putting spacecraft and modules weighing up to 21,000kg into a low circular orbit with an altitude of about 200km. The four-stage modification fitted with the DM booster is used for putting satellites into a geostationary orbit with an altitude of 36,000km and for putting interplanetary stations into departure orbits.
The Proton rocket is produced by the Khrunichev plant in Moscow. It was commissioned in 1976 and 96 percent of its launches have been successful. The rocket's total length without the payload is 42.3m, its highest diameter is 7.4m, and launch weight is about 698t.
GLONASS satellites are designed by the Applied Mechanics Research and Production Association in Krasnoyarsk and manufactured by the Polyot production association in Omsk.