Gonets is a series of Russian civilian communication satellites.

Operating in Low Earth Orbit, the satellite system has been in space since 1992 and has undergone three significant upgrades since its first version.

The current generation of Gonets are known as Gonets-M -- the fourth generation of the system.

Operated by Gonets SatCom, each satellite in the constellation carries a five year life, has a mass of 233-280 kg, and uses UHF frequencies (like those used for TV broadcasts, cell phones, personal radios, walkie-talkies) for communications.

The Rokot (Russian for "rumble" or "boom") is a late Soviet Union-era launcher.

With a price tag of $41.8 million (USD) per launch, the rocket performed its first suborbital test flight on November 20th, 1990, and carried its first payload to orbit over four years later on December 26th, 1994.

Rokot was part of Russia's strategic missile forces, but 45 launchers were purchased by Eurockot Launch Services (a joint venture between the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center and DaimlerBenz Aerospace) for commercial launch operations.

Given Rokot's history with the Russian strategic missile forces, the rocket was built to launch from silos. However, concerns that the intense sound of a silo launch could damage a payload led to the construction of an outside launch pad at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.

Rokot is the only operational Russian rocket integrated in the vertical position, with partial integration taking place at the launch pad.

Stats
Height: 29 m / 95 ft
Diameter: 2.5 m / 8.2 ft
Mass: 107,000 kg / 236,000 lb
Stages: 3
Payload to Low Earth Orbit: 1,950 kg / 4,300 lb
Payload to Sun-Synchronous Orbit: 1,200 kg / 2,600 lb

First Stage
Engines: 3 x RD-0233 and 1 x RD-0234
Thrust: 2,080 kN / 470,000 lbf (total)
Burn Time: 120 seconds
Fuel: Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine and dinitrogen tetroxide

Second Stage
Engines: 1 x RD-0235 (main) and RD-0236 (verniers for directional control)
Thrust: 255.76 kN / 57,500 lbf
Burn time: 180 seconds
Fuel: Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine and dinitrogen tetroxide

Third Stage/Briz-KM
Engines: 1 x S5.98M
Thrust: 19.6 kN / 4,400 lbf
Burn Time: up to 3,000 seconds
Fuel: Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine and dinitrogen tetroxide

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

The site was founded in 1957 to support Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ICBM launches of the R7 missile - from which the Soyuz rockets today are derived.

Plesetsk was not as busy as Baikonur in terms of satellite launches from its founding in 1957 to 2000 due to its location and ability to only launch crafts to Molniya and polar orbits.

With the fall of the Soviet Union and the Baikonur Cosmodrome becoming foreign territory for Russia, Plesetsk has been far more active since the 2000s.

It is primarily used for military and commercial launches to high inclination and polar orbits.

It has been the site of three fatal ground accidents that have killed 58 people.

In 1973, a Cosmos-3M rocket exploded on the launch pad killing 9; in 1980, a Vostok-2M rocket exploded during fueling, killing 48; in 2002, a Soyuz-U rocket exploded killing 1 person.