KYIV. Oct 14 (Interfax-AVN) - The Ukrainian-Russian space vehicle Dnepr, which was constructed using the technology of the intercontinental ballistic missile RS-20 (SS-18 Satan by NATO classification), will put the French satellite DEMETER as well as a unit of small spacecraft into a solar-synchronous orbit in the second quarter of 2004.
The Dnepr vehicle will put a total of nine satellites into orbit in one cluster launch, Kosmotras JSC, the company that is engaged in modernizing SS-18s into Dneprs, told Interfax on Tuesday. In addition to DEMETER, a research satellite weighing 125 kilos belonging to the French National Space Research Center (CNES), the other spacecraft to be launched include three Saudi spacecraft, three American, an Italian, and a Russian satellite.
The Saudi spacecraft include SaudiComsat-1 and SaudiComsat-2 commercial communications satellites weighing 12 kilos each and a SaudiSat-2 commercial communications satellite weighing 35 kilos.
The American unit will include 2 commercial communication satellites LatinSat-C weighing 24 kilos each and an AMSAT-Echo amateur radio satellite weighing 12 kilos.
The Italian spacecraft will be a UniSat-3 educational satellite weighing 12 kilos, and Russia will launch an AKS-1 technological satellite also weighing 12 kilos.
It will be the fourth launch of Dnepr vehicles and their first use in putting satellites in solar synchronous orbit, Kosmotras said.
The three previous launches put space vehicles in orbits with a declination of 65 degrees and altitude of 650km. A total of 12 satellites provided by Great Britain, Italy, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and Germany were orbited. The first launch took place in 1999.
The Russian Aviation and Space Agency has worked out an algorithm of space launches support, Kosmotras said.
A total of 15 space vehicles are to be launched in the framework of the Dnepr program in 2004. The stock of orders for next year is nearly full, the company said.
According to Kosmotras, a total of 160 launches of RS-20 missiles have been performed. The missile can be used for orbiting satellites in the framework of the Dnepr program until 2020.