ESA - Observing the Earth - CryoSat launch will be blast from the Cold War past

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CryoSat launch will be blast from the Cold War past

23 September 2005

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A Rockot launcher, operated by Eurockot Launch Services, ready for take-off

Credits: Eurockot Launch Services

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Plesetsk was founded in 1957. Situated in the Archangel region of Russia at latitude 620 54' north and longitude 400 23' east, Plesetsk was the Soviet Union's most northern launch base, used to place mainly military satellites into polar orbit. Until recently Plesetsk was the busiest launch base in the world.

Credits: Videocosmos Company

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Old meets new, as a freshly-built Breeze-KM upper stage is placed on top of a 20-year-old two-stage SS-19 to form a Rockot satellite launcher.

Credits: Eurockot Launch Services

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Satellite integration with Breeze-KM upper stage

Credits: Eurockot Launch Services

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Eurockot Launch Services markets and provides commercial launch services for low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites using the Russian Rockot launch vehicle from dedicated spacecraft preparation, customer launch facilities at Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia. Rockot particularly serves the market of high inclinations, including polar and Sun-synchronous orbits. Eurockot has provided five successful launches for European, American, Canadian and Japanese clients. Contracts with the European Space Agency and the Republic of Korea were signed for launches in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

Credits: Eurockot Launch Services

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Eurockot's MIK integration facility at Plesetsk Cosmodrome

Credits: Eurockot Launch Services

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Artist's impression of CryoSat.

The launch of the CryoSat spacecraft was unfortunately aborted on 8 October 2005 due to a malfunction of its Rockot launcher, which resulted in the total loss of the spacecraft.

At the latest meeting of the European Space Agency's Earth Observation Programme Board, which took place at ESA’s Headquarters in Paris on 23 and 24 February 2006, ESA received the green light from its Member States to build and launch a CryoSat recovery mission, CryoSat-2.

Credits: ESA

CryoSat