Soyuz 2.1a | Kosmos 2579 (Bars-M No. 6)
Soyuz 2.1a launched the Kosmos 2579 (Bars-M No. 6) mission for Russian Space Forces from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation on Oct 31, 2024 (UTC).
Launch pad
43/4 (43R) · Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation
Soyuz 2.1a | Kosmos 2579 (Bars-M No. 6)
Launched Oct 31, 2024 4:51:31 PMSuccess
1 object in orbit now
Flight direction
343° NNW
measured from the launched orbit · inclination 97.6°
Flight path
First-stage drop zone (rough estimate)
Drawn 400–700 km downrange along the flight direction. Official hazard areas are published as NOTAMs and navigational warnings.
About the mission
Note: Payload identity uncertain. Bars-M is the second incarnation of the Bars project, which was started in the mid 1990ies to develop a successor for the Komtea class of area surveillance satellites. The original Bars project was halted in the early 2000s. In 2007, TsSKB-Progress was contracted for Bars-M, for which reportedly the Yantar-based service module was replaced by a new developed advanced service module. The Bars-M satellites feature an electro-optical camera system called Karat, which is developed and built by the Leningrad Optical Mechanical Association (LOMO), and a dual laser altimeter instrument to deliver topographic imagery, stereo images, altimeter data and high-resolution images with a ground resolution around 1 meter.
Mission description from Launch Library 2.
Objects from this launch still in orbit
- Launch time (your time zone)
- Thu, Oct 31 · 4:51:31 PM
- Status
- Success
- Launch provider
- Russian Space Forces
- Rocket
- Soyuz 2.1a
- Mission type
- Government/Top Secret
- Target orbit
- SSO
- Launch pad
- 43/4 (43R) · Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation