Soyuz 2-1b – Spaceflight Now

Navigation satellite launched to join Russia’s Glonass network

June 18, 2018

A new Russian navigation satellite lifted off Saturday on top of a Soyuz rocket, riding the three-stage booster and a Fregat upper stage into orbit to supplement the country’s Glonass network providing precise global positioning and timing services.

Photos: Soyuz rocket soars into space from French Guiana

March 12, 2018

A Soyuz rocket launched Friday with four commercial satellites to expand broadband Internet coverage in remote parts of the world, climbing into orbit from the Guiana Space Center positioned on the northeastern shore of South America.

Four O3b satellites launched to beam Internet to developing world

March 9, 2018

Four satellites set to join O3b’s expanding broadband network successfully launched Friday on top of a Russian-built Soyuz booster from French Guiana, joining 12 other craft linking developing nations, far-flung islands, cruise ships and other hard-to-reach locales with the Internet.

Video: Replay of Soyuz takeoff with four O3b broadband satellites

March 9, 2018

A Russian Soyuz rocket lifted off Friday from French Guiana with four broadband satellites for the O3b network, which provides high-speed connectivity to developing countries, ships and other customers who lack a reliable Internet link.

Live coverage: Soyuz rocket lifts off with four O3b broadband satellites

March 9, 2018

A Russian-built Soyuz booster lifted off Friday from the European-run spaceport in French Guiana, carrying four new broadband Internet satellites to orbit to join the O3b network owned by SES. Launch occurred at 1710:06 GMT (12:10:06 p.m. EST).

Soyuz launch from French Guiana delayed to Friday

March 5, 2018

The blastoff of four broadband Internet satellites aboard a Soyuz rocket from French Guiana has been pushed back to Friday, the launch company Arianespace announced Monday.

Russian official blames Nov. 28 launch failure on botched software programming

December 30, 2017

A senior Russian politician whose portfolio includes the country’s space program has blamed human error for a Nov. 28 launch failure that led to the destruction of a $45 million weather satellite and 18 secondary payloads, according to multiple news reports.

Intelligence-gathering satellite deployed in orbit for Russian military

December 3, 2017

A Russian military surveillance satellite designed to monitor adversaries’ radio signals successfully launched Saturday aboard a Soyuz rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.

Guidance error reportedly led to Russian launch failure

November 30, 2017

Russian officials could complete their investigation of a rocket failure Tuesday by mid-December, and multiple Russian news reports suggest the probe has narrowed to focus on the guidance computer on the Soyuz launcher’s Fregat upper stage.

Russian weather satellite and 18 secondary payloads lost after rocket failure

November 28, 2017

A new Russian weather observatory and the first prototype for Telesat’s planned network of 100-plus broadband communications satellites in low Earth orbit were among 19 spacecraft feared lost after a Fregat rocket stage ran into trouble soon after liftoff aboard a Soyuz booster Tuesday.