Russia says it has lost contact with the Meteor-M weather satellite launched early this morning from its new Vostochny spaceport.
Russia says it has lost contact with Meteor satellite
is a deputy editor and Verge co-founder with a passion for human-centric cities, e-bikes, and life as a digital nomad. He’s been a tech journalist for 20 years.
“The first scheduled communication session has failed to establish contact with the satellite due to its absence from the designated orbit,” said a spokesman for Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency. “Analysis of the current situation is underway.”
The 6,062-pound Meteor-M 2-1 satellite was meant to have begun a five-year mission to collect imagery and data for Roshydromet, the Russian weather agency. It’s the first Russian weather satellite capable of receiving emergency distress beacons through the international Cospas-Sarsat network, according to SpaceFlight Now.
The Meteor-M 2-1 launched aboard a Soyuz-2.1b rocket at 8.41AM Moscow Time. It’s just the second spacecraft to lift off from Russia’s newest spaceport. The rocket carried a total of 19 satellites from a variety of countries, including the US, though the Meteor-M was the main payload.
Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
Most Popular
Most Popular
- Microsoft offers buyouts to 60,000 employees
- OpenAI announces three big science discoveries and a new way to work with academics
- Apple acknowledges iPhone Duo display ‘issue’ after reports of cracked screens
- Apple updates the MacBook Pro with M6 chips
- Apple updates the iPad Mini with a larger OLED display
