Soyuz 2-1b launches Uragan-M GLONASS satellite

A Russian Soyuz-2-1b rocket launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome Saturday night, deploying a replacement satellite for the GLONASS navigation system with the aid of a Fregat-M upper stage. Liftoff is due to take place at 23:17 Moscow Time (20:17 UTC), beginning a three-and-a-half hour journey to the spacecraft’s destination orbit. Russia’s GLONASS navigation system is served by a constellation of satellites named Uragan, meaning Hurricane. The current-generation Uragan-M spacecraft are designed for seven years of service, with new satellites being launched as needed to replace failing spacecraft on orbit. Saturday’s launch deployed Uragan-M No.757 – the forty-eighth Uragan-M and the 137th GLONASS satellite overall. More

(Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com - Nov 4)