The Russian EMKA is small military satellite optical reconnaissance satellite.

The 150 kg (330 lbs) satellite was inspired by the U.S. American commercial Earth imaging satellites of the SkySat 1 series. It features a camera built by the Belarusian company OAO Peleng with a maximum ground resolution of 0.9 meters in panchromatic mode.

EMKA is the precursor of a slightly bigger satellite called MKA-V that can make high-resolution images for both civilian and military purposes.

Meet the smallest member of the Angara rocket family, the Angara 1.2.

Capable of taking up to 3.8 metric tons to a 200 km low Earth orbit, the Angara 1.2 uses a single standard Universal Rocket Module-1 (URM) and a modified Block I upper stage that is used on the Soyuz-2 rockets.

The URM-1 is the basis and central core for all Angara rockets with the idea being that common stages will increase launch cadence and reduce cost.

The URM-1 uses the RD-191 engine that burns liquid kerosene and liquid oxygen.

The development of the Angara family began in 1992, and the final design emerged 22 years later.

This will technically be the first flight of the true Angara 1.2 rocket; however, a heavily modified version called Angara 1.2pp flew a suborbital test mission in July 2014.

Picture: Russian Ministry of Defense

Site No. 35 at Plesetsk is a single pad that has only been used to launch Angara rockets since 2014.

It was originally built in the mid-1980s for the Zenit rocket, but construction was stopped after the collapse of the Soviet Union when Zenit launches from Plesetsk were canceled.

The pad was modified over ten years starting in 2004 to support Angara launches.

Image: Strategic Forces of the Russian Federation