Follow the key events of the Soyuz rocket’s ascent into orbit from the Guiana Space Center with the SES 15 communications satellite. A listing of exact times for the flight’s major events is posted below.
Data source: Arianespace
T-0:00:03: Engines at Full Thrust
The five main engines of the Soyuz rocket’s core stage and four strap-on boosters are at full thrust.
T+0:00:00: Liftoff
Producing more than 900,000 pounds of thrust, the Soyuz ST-A (Soyuz 2-1a) rocket soars into the sky from the Guiana Space Center.
T+0:01:58: Jettison Boosters
The Soyuz rocket’s four strap-on boosters, each powered by an RD-107A engine, are jettisoned after consuming their propellant.
T+0:03:39: Jettison Fairing
The ST-type payload fairing is released from the Soyuz rocket when it reaches the edge of the upper atmosphere. The 13.5-foot-diameter fairing protects the payload during the launch countdown and the flight through the dense lower atmosphere.
T+0:04:47: Core Stage Separation
Having burned its propellant, the core stage of the Soyuz rocket, also known as the second stage, separates and the third stage’s RD-0110 engine ignites to continue the flight.
T+0:08:49: Soyuz/Fregat Separation
The Soyuz rocket’s third stage releases the Fregat-M upper stage just shy of orbital velocity.
T+0:09:49: First Fregat Ignition
The hydrazine-fueled Fregat upper stage ignites to place the SES 15 satellite into a preliminary elliptical transfer orbit.
T+0:23:34: First Fregat Shutdown
After a 13-minute, 45-second burn, the Fregat upper stage shuts down to begin a 4-hour, 34-minute coast phase.
T+4:57:35: Second Fregat Ignition
The Fregat main engine ignites again for a 52-second burn to put the SES 15 satellite into the correct deployment orbit.
T+4:58:27: Second Fregat Shutdown
The Fregat main engine shuts down after reaching a sub-geostationary transfer orbit with a low point of 1,367 miles (2,200 kilometers, a high point of 19,449 miles (31,300 kilometers) and an inclination of 6 degrees.
T+5:18:28: SES 15 Separation
The SES 15 communications satellite deploys from the Fregat upper stage.
Two communications satellites owned by Saudi Arabian and Indian operators rocketed into orbit Tuesday on top of a European Ariane 5 rocket, the first of up to 13 launches planned from French Guiana this year.
SpaceX has postponed the launch of its next Falcon 9 rocket indefinitely. The rocket was originally scheduled take off Wednesday from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida with a top secret U.S. government payload named Zuma. A few minutes after launch, the Falcon 9’s first stage will return for a landing at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
SpaceX’s first Crew Dragon spacecraft to carry astronauts into orbit arrived at launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida late Friday, May 15, to be attached to its Falcon 9 rocket. The capsule will carry NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station.
