The Russian space telescope "Spektr-UF" is planned to be launched into orbit on October 24, 2031. Representatives of NPO S. A. Lavochkin announced the new project timeline at the "Ultraviolet Universe — 2026" conference.
According to Alexander Shakhanov, head of the relevant department at the enterprise, the development of working documentation for launch vehicles and ground infrastructure facilities should begin in January 2027. He noted that the necessary elements for the launch are already provided for in the national project "Kosmos" and are in production, so the project is currently targeting a launch on October 24, 2031.
The observatory is planned to be sent into orbit using an "Angara-A5M" launch vehicle with a "Persei" upper stage. The estimated operational life of the apparatus will be five years — until October 2036. However, experts believe that the actual resource of the telescope may be significantly longer.
Solutions developed during the operation of the "Spektr-RG" spacecraft will be used to control the new observatory. The ground infrastructure will include stations in Baikonur and Medvezhy Ozera, as well as scientific information reception points in Simeiz, Zvenigorod, and Addis Ababa.
"Spektr-UF" is being created as a new generation Russian orbital ultraviolet observatory and is considered a successor to the famous Hubble telescope. Earlier, Mikhail Sachkov, director of the Institute of Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, reported that the apparatus's tests had entered the final stage.