Luch 5B
Luch 5B (Russian: Луч-5Б meaning ray and sometimes transliterated as Loutch-5B) is a Russian Luch relay satellite which transmits data from the Russian Orbital Segment of the International Space Station, and from other satellites in low Earth orbit. It is in geosynchronous orbit.
![]() Model of Luch 5A at CeBIT in 2011 | |
| Mission type | Communications |
|---|---|
| Operator | Roskosmos |
| COSPAR ID | 2012-061A[1] |
| SATCAT no. | 38977[1] |
| Mission duration | 10 years |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | Ekspress-1000AM[2] |
| Manufacturer | JSC Information Satellite Systems |
| Launch mass | 1,148 kilograms (2,531 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 2 November 2012, 21:04 UTC |
| Rocket | Proton-M/Briz-M |
| Launch site | Baikonur 81/24[1] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geosynchronous |
Luch
Luch 5B is one of three Luch relay satellites. Luch 5A was launched on 11 December 2011 and Luch 5V was launched on 28 April 2014.[2] They are dual purpose satellites with both military and civil uses, and are similar to those in the US Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System.[3]
Luch 5B was built by JSC Information Satellite Systems using the Ekspress-1000A bus. It has 4 S and Ku band channels with repeaters manufactured by Thales Alenia Space and other equipment manufactured by Sumitomo. The Ku band antenna operates at up to 150 Mbit/s and the S band antenna at up to 5 Mbit/s. The satellite also has a "laser-radio channel".[2][4][5][6][7][8]
The satellite is designed to relay data from the ISS, satellites in low earth orbit and rocket launch vehicles.[5][7]
Luch 5B is located at 16° W.
Launch
Luch 5B was launched on 2 November 2012 with satellite Yamal 300K. It was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome launchpad 81/24 by a Proton-M rocket with a Briz-M upper stage. It was launched at 21:04 UTC and after four burns of the Briz-M upper stage it was placed into geosynchronous transfer orbit at 06:33 UTC on 3 November.[1]
The launch was delayed from 30 August 2012 due to the failure of the launch of Telkom-3 and Ekspress MD2 in August 2012.[1]
References
- "2012-061". zarya.info. 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-03.
- "Luch 5B". Gunter's Space Page. 2010. Retrieved 2012-11-03.
- "Russian Satellites Reach Orbit – Space Agency". RIA Novosti. 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2012-11-03.
- "Loutch-5A and Loutch-5B DRSs". ISS Reshetnev. 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
- "Loutch-5B and Yamal-300K successfully launched". ISS Reshetnev. 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
- "Thales Alenia Space to supply repeaters equipment for Russian satellites Loutch-5A and Loutch-5B". Thales Alenia Space. 2007-06-19. Archived from the original on 2013-02-04. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
- "Proton Successfully Delivers Loutch 5B and Yamal 300K Satellites to Orbit". Khrunichev. 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
- "Luch satellite". Russian Space Web. 2012-10-23. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
