Russia To Launch Soyuz-2 Rocket On March 22
Moscow, March 17: The launch of a Russian rocket Soyuz-2 with a military spacecraft is scheduled for March 22 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region in Russia’s north, the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Ministry of the Republic of Komi said on Thursday.
“Soyuz-2 is scheduled to launch from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome on March 22… The carrier rocket with a spacecraft on board will be launched in the interests of national defense. The launch time is from 3:00 to 5:00 pm Moscow time [from 12:00 to 14:00 GMT]. Reserve launch dates are March 23, 24 and 25,” the ministry said in a statement on the website.
Parts of Udorsky, Knyazhpogostsky and Kortkerossky districts have been declared temporarily hazardous from March 22-25 due to the descent of the launch vehicle’s separable parts, therefore the ministry urged local residents to avoid these areas. The ministry added that it will be conducting an aerial survey of the area from March 17-21 to ensure the safety of residents.
The latest launch of a rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome was conducted on February 5 by the Russian military. A combat crew of the Russian space forces launched a Soyuz-2.1a medium-class carrier rocket with a spacecraft in the interests of the Russian Defense Ministry. The military later said that the spacecraft was the military satellite dubbed Cosmos-2553.
