On April 3, a new Russian satellite was successfully launched into orbit from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the interests of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. This device could be the "Meridian-M" for communication between aircraft and ships in the Arctic latitudes. The publication "Technosphere Russia," citing foreign sources, reported on its purpose.
The "Meridian-M" series of devices are the second generation of dual-use communication satellites 14F112. The devices, weighing more than 2 tons, are capable of serving in orbit for at least 7 years.
Preliminary, three repeaters are installed on board, operating in different frequency ranges (including L, C, and Ku-bands), which allows transmitting both voice and digital data.
The satellites operate in a high elliptical orbit with a height of 1000 × 40,000 kilometers. The Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle is mainly used for launching into orbit.
The "Meridian" devices replaced two types of military communication satellites of the previous generation — "Molniya" and "Parus."
The civilian purpose is to relay signals for communication between ships and ice reconnaissance aircraft in the Northern Sea Route area with coastal ground stations.
