Russia will launch the Bars-M No. 5 satellite, a military surveillance satellite.

The Bars-M series from Russia is an electro-optical surveillance satellite and the second generation of Bars satellites.

In addition to the Karat camera, the satellites carry a dual laser altimeter and can provide Russia with topographic and stereo imagery, altimeter data, and high-resolution images of up to 1 meter.

Each Bars-M is built to operate for 5 years in a 570 km high sun-synchronous orbit.

The first Bars-M launched in February 2015.

The second one launched in March 2016.

The third followed in May 2022.

The fourth in March 2023.

The Soyuz 2.1a is a versatile launch vehicle capable of deploying civilian and military satellites into orbit, as well as carrying cargo and crew to the International Space Station (ISS). It is part of the modernized Soyuz-2 family, which features upgraded avionics, improved control systems, and enhanced performance over previous Soyuz models.

The Soyuz 2.1a can launch from all three major Roscosmos spaceports:

- Baikonur Cosmodrome (Kazakhstan)

- Plesetsk Cosmodrome (Russia, primarily for military and government payloads)

- Vostochny Cosmodrome (Russia, for civilian and commercial missions)

For crewed and cargo flights to the ISS, Soyuz 2.1a launches exclusively from Site 31/6 at Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Its first crewed flight took place on April 9, 2020, carrying Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner, along with NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy. This mission marked a significant shift from the previous Soyuz-FG rocket, which was retired in 2019.

Specs

Boosters (Blok-B, -V, -G, -D)

Number: 4

Engines: 1 × RD-107A per booster

Length: 19.6 m (64 ft)

Diameter: 2.68 m (8.8 ft)

Thrust (total): 3,357.92 kN / 754,880 lbf (sea level). 4,079.68 kN / 917,160 lbf (vacuum)

Burn Time: 118 seconds

Fuel: Liquid Oxygen (LOX) & RP-1 (rocket-grade kerosene)

Total Height: 46.3 m (152 ft)

Liftoff Mass: 312,000 kg (688,000 lbs)

Payload Capacity to Low Earth Orbit (LEO): 7,020 kg (15,480 lbs)

First Stage (Blok-A)

Engines: 1 × RD-108A

Length: 27.1 m (88.9 ft)

Diameter: 2.95 m (9.7 ft)

Thrust: 792.41 kN / 178,140 lbf (sea level). 921.86 kN / 207,240 lbf (vacuum)

Burn Time: 286 seconds

Fuel: Liquid Oxygen (LOX) & RP-1 (rocket-grade kerosene)

Second Stage (Blok-I)

Engines: 1 × RD-0110

Length: 6.7 m (22 ft)

Diameter: 2.66 m (9.8 ft)

Thrust: 298 kN / 67,000 lbf

Burn Time: 270 seconds

Fuel: Liquid Oxygen (LOX) & RP-1 (rocket-grade kerosene)

Image Credit: Roscosmos

The Plesetsk Cosmodrome is located 800 km north of Moscow, Russia.

Founded in 1957, it was originally established to support the Soviet Union’s R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches—the same rocket family that later evolved into the Soyuz launch vehicle used today.

From its inception until 2000, Plesetsk was less active than Baikonur Cosmodrome due to its geographic limitations, primarily allowing launches into Molniya and polar orbits. However, following the fall of the Soviet Union and Russia’s loss of direct control over Baikonur (now in Kazakhstan), Plesetsk has seen a significant increase in launch activity, particularly since the early 2000s.

Today, Plesetsk is primarily used for military and commercial launches to high-inclination and polar orbits.

The site has also been the location of three fatal ground accidents, resulting in a total of 58 casualties:

- 1973: A Cosmos-3M rocket exploded on the launch pad, killing 9 people.

- 1980: A Vostok-2M rocket exploded during fueling, killing 48 people.

- 2002: A Soyuz-U rocket explosion resulted in 1 fatality.

Image: Roscosmos