OREANDA-NEWS. The rocket Soyuz-2 with 3 Gonets-M communication satellites and 19 small spacecrafts was launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome (Arkhangelsk Region, Russia).

This was reported by the Department of Media Affairs and Information of the Russian Defense Ministry. “The launch of the Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with the Gonets-M communications spacecraft unit and the associated payload of 19 small spacecrafts has been carried out,” the message says. It is noted that the rocket was launched at 14:20 Moscow time (11:20 UTC) from the 1st State Testing Cosmodrome of the Russian Ministry of Defense (Plesetsk) in the Arkhangelsk Region. “All pre-launch operations and the launch of the Soyuz-2.1b space rocket took place in the normal mode,” the Department added.

This is the fourth launch of the Soyuz-2 rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in 2020. Earlier, three Gonets-M satellites were launched by rockets Rokot. Another launch of Soyuz-2 with three satellites from Plesetsk is scheduled for November–December. After that, similar launches are planned to be carried out by Soyuz-2 from the Vostochny Cosmodrome located in the Amur Region in the Far East.