Roskosmos has launched its first hydrometeorological satellite, called Arktika-M, into earth orbit. As its name implies, it will monitor the environment and climate in the Arctic.
The satellite reached its working orbit in the morning of February 28, Arktika-M was launched on a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The launch went as planned, said Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin.
However, he noted on his Telegram that "there was some excitement. There was a very strong wind, even the hardy Soyuz-2 worked at the limit of its tolerance for meteorological conditions, Rogozin specified.
"Arktika-M is Russia's first satellite to monitor the territory of the Arctic. It is to serve for seven years.
Photo: from open sources