Spectrum-R Prepared for Mating with Fregat-SB Upper Stage. / July 5, 2011 /

Zenith/Fregat-SB/Spectrum-R launch campaign is in progress at Baikonur.
Experts of the rocket and space industry prepare Russian Spectrum-R scientific observatory for mating with Fregat upper stage. The space upper composite covered by the fairing will be then delivered to pad 42 for integration with the rocket.
The roll out is tentatively planned for July 11.
Zenith-3M rocket, together with Fregat upper stage, is to loft Russian Spectrum-R scientific observatory on July 18, 2011.
Spectrum-R — the RadioAstron Project is designed by the Astro Space Center of the P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Science (FIAN), and the S.A. Lavochkin Federal Research & Production Association, Roscosmos in cooperation with numerous Russian and international organizations.
The goal of the project is to carry out investigations of various types of astrophysical objects of the Universe with an unprecedented high angular resolution in the centimeter and decimeter wavelength bands. Such resolution is attained by the 10 m Space Radio Telescope (on-board the spacecraft Spectrum-R) working together with the largest ground radio telescopes in the interferometer mode.

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