Launch details
Soyuz 2.1a | Kosmos 2579 (Bars-M No. 6)
Launch details
Soyuz 2.1a | Kosmos 2579 (Bars-M No. 6)
Russian Space Forces
Government • RUS
43/4 (43R)
Plesetsk Cosmodrome
Oct 31 at 10:00am
Launchpad time•+0300
Oct 31 at 07:00am
Your local time•+0000
Current status
Launch Successful
Kosmos 2579 (Bars-M No. 6)
Mission
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24 hours before launch
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1 hour before launch
Note: For all launches the scheduled launch dates and times are subject to change due to weather, equipment, crew and other factors.
Mission description
Note: Payload identity uncertain.
Bars-M is the second incarnation of the Bars project, which was started in the mid 1990ies to develop a successor for the Komtea class of area surveillance satellites. The original Bars project was halted in the early 2000s. In 2007, TsSKB-Progress was contracted for Bars-M, for which reportedly the Yantar-based service module was replaced by a new developed advanced service module.
The Bars-M satellites feature an electro-optical camera system called Karat, which is developed and built by the Leningrad Optical Mechanical Association (LOMO), and a dual laser altimeter instrument to deliver topographic imagery, stereo images, altimeter data and high-resolution images with a ground resolution around 1 meter.
— Kosmos 2579 (Bars-M No. 6)
Livestream
Attending a launch in person
Paid guided tours are how foreigners access Russian cosmodromes, for example Russia Discovery or Star City Tours, at a cost of around 3000 USD. The most valuable service they'll provide is organizing your permits with the Russian or Kazakh authorities.
If you only plan on seeing one, Vostochny is the most modern and likely the heart of Russian spaceflight moving forward, while Baikonur is steeped in history as the launch place of the first human in space (Yuri Gagarin) and the first woman in space (Valentina Tereshkova).
How to get there
From Moscow you can take an 18-hour overnight train directly to Plesetsk or a flight to Arkhangelsk and then a 5-hour train from there to Plesetsk or Mirny.
Note this is a highly restricted military spaceport and so all necessary permissions will need to be arranged beforehand.
Accomodation
Nearby hotels in Mirny for authorized visitors only. Hotels in Plesetsk are available to the general public.
Nearby parking
Parking not available on-site.
Agency details
Russian Space Forces are a branch of Russia's Aerospace Forces, focused on military and defense-related space operations. They handle satellite launches, missile warning systems, and space surveillance, ensuring the security and operational readiness of Russia's space assets.