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14F112 Meridian

Satellites of the "Meridian" series provide communication between sea vessels and ice reconnaissance aircraft in the area of the Northern Sea Route with coastal and ground stations. Also, the devices expand the capabilities of satellite communication stations in the northern regions of Siberia and the Far East.

In 2017, "Information Satellite Systems" named after MF Reshetnev received an order for the production of four military satellites Meridian-M. Meridian are second-generation communication satellites that replaced the Lightning and Rainbow devices. The Meridian satellite is designed to provide communications for ships and ice reconnaissance aircraft in the Northern Sea Route area with coastal, ground stations. Also, the device is needed to expand the capabilities of the network of satellite communication stations in the northern regions of Siberia and the Far East in the interests of the development of the Russian economy.

The " Meridian " communications satellite series was designed to replace the Molniya-1 series ComSats spacecraft (1965-2004) to provide communications for ships and ice-reconnaissance aircraft operating in the area of the Northern Sea Route. This will allow communications with shore and ground stations and a wide network of ComSat stations in northern areas of Siberia and the Far East in the interests of economic development of the Russian Federation . The use of such satellites in a highly-elliptical orbit will allow the enhancement of existing means of communications and will add further to the number of usable frequencies and supplementary trunks/channels present and an increase in daily availability and reliability. " Meridian " is equipped with a multi-trunk relaying communications apparatus and can be used at the current time to supplement existing communications systems provided by the "Gorizont" and "Express-A" satellites.

Work on the creation of the third-generation satellite "Meridian" began in the mid-1980s as part of a second phase of the Unified Satellite Communications System (ECS-2). The previous system, ESAs first stage consisted of satellites "Rainbow" the GEO and satellites "Molniya-3" HEO.

The structure of the orbital group ESAS-2, designed to replace the ESAS-1 satellites were supposed to enter the "Rainbow" and "Rainbow-1" in the GSO, as well as new satellites HEO. Start of flight testing and the latest planned in 1989-1990. The first version of the SC "Meridian" was made ??in Omsk, "Flight", but due to the termination of funding, flight tests was never started. The works were transferred to the NPO-PM, where the spacecraft development has continued on a new basis.

After several revisions to the strategy of development of military communications satellites, it was assumed that the new satellite "Meridian" was to replace the multiple generations of satellites take on the connected functions "Sail" system as well as systems "Molniya-1T" and "Molniya-3". The device "Meridian" made ??in "Information satellite systems" (Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory).

The upgraded carrier rocket "Soyuz-2" with a new digital control system and increased load-carrying capacity was made atn the "Samara Space Center" (Samara). The upper stage "Fregat" developed in Lavochkin (Khimki, Moscow region).

"Meridian" is made ??on the platform, part of a unified platform with the navigation spacecraft "Glonass-M". Therefore, some of the "Meridian" systems, such as on-board computer, motion control systems and engines had the general orientation of the "Glonass-M" spacecraft. To set the payload, the satellite incorporates a sealed device-service module. "Meridian" has a three-axis system orientation: longitudinal axis of the vehicle toward the center of the Earth, and two three-cell solar panels 3 kW have uniaxial orientation to the sun. This system facilitates the guidance of large satellite antennas and allowed to place thermal radiator on its shady side. Device orientation in space provided by a flywheel and electromagnetic executive bodies and thrusters on hydrazine (filling weight -. 25 kg).

On board the satellite "Meridian" are three repeaters, operating in different frequency bands. According to available information, one of the repeaters of domestic production is manufactured in Izhevsk. Another satellite repeater with full processing and switching on board for satellite communication systems "Corundum-M" was developed in SPC "Spurt" (Zelenograd).

Telecommunication satellites of a new generation of "Meridian" are launched to the high-elliptical orbit with the help of an upgraded carrier rocket "Soyuz-2" and the upper stage "Fregat". "Meridian" dual-use satellites are designed for communication of ships and ice reconnaissance aircraft in the area of the Northern Sea Route from the coast, ground stations, expanding the network of satellite communication the northern regions of Siberia and the Far East in the development of the Russian economy.

Soyuz-2 rocket carried the first "Meridian-1" (29668 / 2006-061A) communications satellite into orbit from Plesetsk on December 24, 2006 . Russian Space Forces from "First State Test-Space Centre" at Plesetsk successfully launched a Soyuz-2-1a Fregat which put into orbit a Russian " Meridian " communications satellite developed by NPO Prikladnoi Mekhaniki. The final maneuvers for both earth orbital insertion and later placement in its highly elliptical 12 hour Molniya orbit was carried out with the assistance of a "Fregat" booster last stage at 18:32 Moscow time. The Chief of Information Services of the Space Forces, Colonel Aleksej Kuznetsov reported that the on-board systems of the " Meridian " satellite were all working normally. It was under the control of the "Herman Titov" Main Test Center which will direct/control its orbital flight. He also noted that the CinC Space Forces, Colonel-General Vladimir Popovkin had highly praised the professionalism of the teams which participated in the preparation and launch of the spacecraft. It was launched into a 1.012 x 39,816 km x 62.8 deg over 12 hour `Molniya' orbit.

It was recognized as partially successful due to absence to the target orbit. After passing all the tests, the AC used as intended, but not as part of ESAs satellite constellation. The satellite moved on orbit and its plane is slowly changing relative to the other satellites. The device nominally worked for a few months, but was lost due to depressurization, presumably as a result of external influence.

The second Meridian satellite Kosmos-2451 was launched May 22, 2009 by the Soyuz-2-1a booster with the Fregat escape maneuvering last stage. The last stage filed to place the satellite into the proper 12 hour class “Molniya” orbit. It had settled into a 290 x 36,460 km by 62.8 degree orbit below the nominal; 1,000 x 39,800 km orbit suggesting that the second Fregat stage burn was cut short and the third did not take place thus the Kosmos-2451 designation. The Fregat stage was not able to make up for the last burn time of apparently 5 seconds. Because of this short fall velocity wise the satellite will not be able to maintain its desired stable orbit and will have to eventually be replaced sooner than later on.

Spacecraft "Meridian", launched from Plesetsk, May 5th 2011 was launched into the target orbit and take control, the official said control of the press service and the Defense Ministry information space forces Lt. Col. Alexei Zolotukhin. "With the spacecraft established and maintained a stable telemetry link. Onboard the spacecraft systems are functioning normally, "- said A.Zolotuhin. He noted that after the separation from the upper stage spacecraft taken on the management of the main testing center for the Space Forces. This is the fourth series of launch vehicles" Meridian ". Previous took place on November 2, 2010, the spacecraft is used for its intended purpose.

December 23, 2011 on the territory of Siberia fell communications satellite "Meridian", launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome. Grouping SC "Meridian" on highly elliptical orbits (HEO) is intended for use in . part of an integrated satellite communications system (ISSS) together with SC "Raduga-1M", operating in geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite constellation "Meridian" in the long term will replace the three currently existing communication satellite constellation launched for the benefit of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation - "Molniya 1 "," Molniya-3 "and" Sail ".

Troops of aerospace defense (ASD) on October 20, 2014 successfully launched from Plesetsk rocket" Soyuz-2.1a "with the upper stage" Fregat "unit and spacecraft communication" Meridian". From previously conducted six launches, two failed, one recognized as partially successful. January 23, 2015 Defense Minister, Army General Sergei Shoigu checked the progress of the construction of the spacecraft in the interests of the Defense Ministry in the JSC "Information Satellite Systems' (ISS) Reshetnev. "Currently, the Defense Ministry is working on the creation of six other space systems for various purposes," - said Shoigu, opening the meeting on military satellite-ASC Zheleznogorsk. Shoigu said that the ASC is made ??spacecraft "Meridian" communications in 2014. "Since its launch ended with the formation of the orbital grouping of devices of this class. At the final stage is the creation of a space relay apparatus ", - the minister said.

By February 2016 the Defense Ministry was impelled to buy four additional "Meridian" communications satellite, intending to use them after the installation of the domestic component base proved to be too heavy for existing launch vehicles. Problems with import substitution, and, in particular, electronic components, led to a significant increase in the weight of vehicles such as "Sphere-B. It turned out that at the present moment Russian carrier rockets "Proton-M" and "Angara-A5" were not able to bring this type of satellite into high-elliptical orbit with the new Russian equipment.

Thus the request to the government for an additional 14 billion rubles for the four satellites of the purchase of the "Meridian" spacecraft to maintain the constellation. The first launch of the satellites of the "Scope-In" was planned for 2018, but because of the difficulties encountered, it will be held not earlier than 2021. Source Agency said that the launch can be done the following modification "Angara-A5" heavy missile, which has yet to be developed within the framework of the federal target program for the development of space industry for the period 2016-2025 years.

Meridian is a second-generation communication satellites, they replaced the Molniya and Rainbow apparatuses. The lifetime of active satellites is seven years. In 2017, the Russian enterprise Information Satellite Systems named after Academician M. F. Reshetnev received an order for the production of four Meridian-M military satellites (an upgraded version of the Meridian series). The company's general director, Nikolay Testoedov, in an interview with TASS reported that the enterprise plans to manufacture the first apparatus of "Meridian-M" at the end of 2018, the second in 2019, the third in 2020 and the fourth in 2022. According to him, the terms were chosen taking into account the time when the existing Meridians will be planned out.

Two communications satellites, Meridian-M, will be launched in the interests of the Russian Ministry of Defense in 2019, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on 31 May 2019. "Until the end of the year, two upgraded communications satellites of the Meridian-M series will be launched," he said at a meeting of the Defense Ministry board. In addition, the formation of the orbital grouping of the Blagovest military communications as part of four spacecraft will be completed. According to Shoigu, "this will make it possible to expand the availability of satellite communications in Russia and abroad, including in the Arctic zone."

The capacity of satellite communication channels of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will grow 2.5 times by 2025, Shoigu said. "The development of a satellite communications system by 2025 will increase the capacity of satellite communication channels by two and a half times and significantly increase their noise immunity," he said. Shoigu added that until the end of 2022, 334 objects will receive complexes developed "based on advanced domestic digital information transfer systems and hardware and software platforms", which are also used by other ministries and departments. “Thus, based on technical solutions of military communications, more than 170 objects of the military-industrial complex were connected to a single protected information space. As a result, high-speed information exchange on state defense orders was established between the Ministry of Defense, federal executive authorities and enterprises of the military-industrial complex,” the minister added.

Spacecraft "Meridian" separated from the upper unit "Frigate" and placed on the calculated orbit. This was reported to journalists in the press service of the Ministry of Defense 30 July 2019. “The Soyuz-2.1a medium-class carrier rocket, which started on Tuesday, July 30 at 08:56 Moscow time from the state test cosmodrome Plesetsk at the scheduled time, successfully launched the Meridian spacecraft into the calculated orbit, the department said. The ministry noted that the launch of the carrier rocket and the launch of the satellite into orbit by the upper unit "Frigate" were carried out in a normal mode. According to the ministry, the satellite "was put into a target orbit at the estimated time and accepted for control of ground-based facilities of the Main Testing Center named after GS Titov of the Space Forces of the VKS, which will control it during the orbital flight." As it was clarified in the ministry, the use of Meridian satellites in a highly elliptical orbit will improve the operational and technical and economic characteristics of existing means of communication by expanding the frequency bands used, increasing the active life in orbit and higher reliability indicators.

In February 2020 the Frigate booster block successfully launched the Meridian-M military communications satellite into orbit. "Launched on Thursday, February 20, at 11 hours 24 minutes Moscow time from the State Testing Cosmodrome of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Arkhangelsk Region), the Soyuz-2.1A medium-class launch vehicle successfully launched the spacecraft into orbit at a set time "Meridian-M," the report said. The ministry noted that the launch of the Soyuz-2.1A launch vehicle and the launch of the spacecraft into orbit by the Fregat booster were in normal mode.

A Soyuz-2.1a rocket with the Meridian-M communications satellite was launched 22 March 2022 from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region, the Defense Ministry said. "On March 22 at 15:48 Moscow time, from the launcher No. 3 of the site No. 43 of the Plesetsk State Test Cosmodrome, the combat crew of the Space Forces of the Aerospace Forces of Russia successfully launched the Soyuz-2.1a medium-class launch vehicle with the Meridian- M," the department said.