Rockot Lift off Preparations Continue at Plesetsk

(Khrunichev) – At Plesetsk Cosmodrome, preparations are under way for the upcoming launch of a Russia-made Rockot launch vehicle with the GOCE earth observation satellite for European Space Agency. The launch is currently targeted for March 16. According to ESA, the whole ESA/Thales Alenia Space team is expected to arrive at Plesetsk today, and the next day after arrival operations will start with the ‘awakening’ of the GOCE satellite which has been in storage at the launch site since last October. In parallel, the final series of tests on Rockot launcher’s Breeze-KM Upper Stage are being carried out by the Khrunichev specialists at the main processing hall of Rockot integration facility (”MIK”).

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