The Russian company "Sputnics" has launched an educational spacecraft into orbit for the United Arab Emirates, the company's press service reported. As specified in "Sputnics", the launch was carried out as part of a batch of satellites for foreign customers, the purpose of which was to conduct technological and scientific-educational experiments. Among the devices was the QMR-KWT-2 educational satellite, designed to support amateur radio broadcasting and promote astronautics in Arab countries, as well as to develop cooperation between Russia, the UAE and Kuwait.
The spacecraft were launched into orbit on Sunday as a secondary payload along with the Aist-2T satellites by the Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle from the Vostochny Cosmodrome. In addition to satellites for foreign customers, Earth remote sensing devices were also launched into orbit to replenish the Zorkiy-2M group, SITRO-AIS satellites for tracking marine vessels, including the Northern Sea Route, and SITRO-TD devices for testing satellite Internet of Things technology.
The company's press service emphasized that this is the first deal in Russian history for the supply of satellites under leasing with the participation of GTLK. All devices are separated from the launch containers upon reaching the specified orbit, and the Sputnics Mission Control Center has established communication with all satellites, starting to receive telemetry. The launch of the Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle from site 1S of the Vostochny Cosmodrome took place on December 28 at 16:18 Moscow time with two Aist-2T devices and 50 Russian and foreign small satellites.
