Russia Launches a Meridian-M Satellite on Soyuz 2.1a

Soyuz 2.1a Launches a Meridian Satellite | Credit: RAF

On Tuesday, March 22 at 8:48am EDT (12:48 UTC), the Russian military launched the Meridian-M n°20L satellite atop a Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat-M rocket from Site 43/3 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia. The Fregat-M upper stage is an optional fourth stage that can be added to Soyuz rockets to get the payloads into an exact orbit. The Meridian satellites are communications satellites which are used for both civilian and military purposes. The rocket for this mission was built by Roscosmos but the launch was operated by the Russian Aerospace Forces. This was the 31st orbital launch attempt of 2022 and the 61st Soyuz 2.1a launch.