mardi 8 novembre 2011

Launch of the ILV Zenit-2SB Rocket with AIS Phobos-Grunt


















ROSCOSMOS - Phobos-Grunt Mission poster.


11/08/2011

Launch of the ILV Zenit-2SB Rocket with AIS Phobos-Grunt

Launch Complex 45 area Baikonur starting calculations enterprise space industry in Russia and Ukraine made launching space rocket "Zenit-2SB," designed for launching into orbit of Russia's automatic interplanetary station (AIS) "Phobos-Grunt".

After 688 seconds of flight AMC cleanly separated from the second stage booster.

Lift-off occurred successfully at 00.16 GMT on 9 November 2011 from Baikonur Cosmodrome. The spacecraft is expected to reach Mars' orbit in September 2012, with landing on Phobos scheduled for February 2013.

Russia's automatic interplanetary station (AIS) "Phobos-Grunt" (Artist's view)

Phobos-Grunt (Russian: Фобос-Грунт, lit.«Phobos-Ground») is a sample return mission to Phobos, one of the moons of Mars. Funded by the Russian space agency Roscosmos and developed by NPO Lavochkin and the Russian Space Research Institute, Phobos-Grunt is to become the first Russian interplanetary mission since the failed Mars 96. It is also set to become the first spacecraft to return a macroscopic extraterrestrial sample from a planetary body since Luna 24 in 1976.

Phobos-Grunt Mission schematic description

The return vehicle, carrying up to 200 g of soil from Phobos, is expected to be back on Earth in August 2014.

For more informations about the Phobos-Grunt Mission, visit: http://www.federalspace.ru/main.php?id=375

Images, Video, Text, Credits: Press Service of the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos PAO) / Roscosmos TV / Orbiter.ch Aerospace / Translation: Orbiter.ch.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch