Rocket "rumble" to get into space three satellite Swarm - RIA Novosti

© Photo: ESA / M. Shafiq

MOSCOW, November 22 – RIA Novosti. Booster “rumble” with three European satellites Swarm, designed to study Earth’s magnetic field, will be launched on Friday from the Baikonur “Plesetsk”, said the representative of management Press and Information of the Russian Defense Ministry troops on Aerospace Defense (ASD) Colonel Dmitry Zenin.

This is the third launch rocket “rumble” that troops aerospace defense spend in 2013 from the cosmodrome “Plesetsk”. Start “Rokot” with three machines, “twins” Swarm was originally scheduled for November 2012, but the term was later start was moved to November 14, 2013, and eventually was appointed to start on November 22. Transfer was initiated by the customer – the European Space Agency.

“On Friday at 16:02 MSK from Baikonur” Plesetsk “scheduled launch rocket” rumble “with the upper stage” Breeze-KM “and three European spacecraft Swarm”, – said Zenin, adding that the estimated time of launch spacecraft into the target orbit – 17:33 MSK.

general management will be carried out starting commander EKR Major-General Alexander Golovko. All previous start operations are in normal mode, said Zenin.

As expected, a half hour after launch satellites will separate from the upper stage and go to solo flight.

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light class “Roar” is based on a release from service intercontinental missile RS-18. Rocket and booster “Briz-KM” designed and manufactured in the Khrunichev Center.

Invisible Shield

Swarm project a part of the study of the Earth “Living Planet” European Space Agency, in which the satellite is used to work for the study of Earth’s gravity GOCE, SMOS devices and Cryosat, studied the oceans, sea ice and permafrost.

Gemini Swarm designed to explore the Earth’s magnetosphere – the invisible shell that protects all life on the planet from the effects of high-energy particles coming from the sun and galactic sources. Perhaps this is due to the magnetic field of the Earth has retained a thick atmosphere and a favorable climate for life – “bezmagnitny” Mars lost almost all its atmosphere after the first billion years of its existence, scientists believe that its gaseous envelope was “stripped” streams of charged particles from the Sun.

Magnetic field measurements showed that its direction and strength can change over time, it is possible that at some point it may “roll over” – change the polarity, which can lead to disastrous consequences for the biosphere.

Identical

each other aids Swarm can accurately follow the fluctuations of the magnetic field lines of force, and to evaluate the contribution to the magnetic field “magnetic dynamo” in the center of the planet’s mantle fields and ocean.

Each satellite weighing 472 kilograms equipped with high-precision magnetometers, meters, electric fields and accelerations and navigational instruments. Magnetic sensors are placed on a four-extendable rod to remove the influence maganitnogo “noise” from the electronics unit. Probes made prolate order to minimize the inhibitory effect of the atmosphere. Initially, the two satellites will be launched into orbit 460 kilometers in height, then the height will gradually decline to about 300 kilometers. The third satellite will be put into a higher orbit altitude of 530 kilometers.

Eurockot customers are operators of commercial satellite systems, national space agencies, business and scientific – research institutes, USA, Canada, Germany, France, South Korea and Japan and other countries. In 2009 Eurockot ensure a successful launch vehicles created for the study of the Earth, as part of the ESA program “Living Planet” – satellite GOCE, SMOS spacecraft and technology demonstrator Proba-2. As reported earlier the company Eurockot, in its order book contracts with ESA, which include four space launch using “Rokot” in the period from 2012 to 2014.

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