 | |
| Mission type | Weather |
|---|---|
| Operator | Roskosmos |
| COSPAR ID | 2011-001A |
| SATCATno. | 37344 |
| Mission duration | 14 years, 10 months and 8 days (in orbit) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | Navigator |
| Manufacturer | NPO Lavochkin |
| Launch mass | 1,740 kilograms (3,840 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 20 January 2011, 12:29:02 (2011-01-20UTC12:29:02Z) UTC |
| Rocket | Zenit-3F |
| Launch site | Baikonur45/1 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geostationary |
| Longitude | 14.5° West[1] |
| Semi-major axis | 42,165.19 kilometres (26,200.23 mi)[2] |
| Eccentricity | 7.61E-05[2] |
| Perigee altitude | 35,790 kilometres (22,240 mi)[2] |
| Apogee altitude | 35,797 kilometres (22,243 mi)[2] |
| Inclination | 0.68 degrees[2] |
| Period | 1436.17 minutes[2] |
| Epoch | 24 January 2015, 03:02:23 UTC[2] |
Elektro-L No.1 (Russian:Электро-L), also known asGeostationary Operational Meteorological Satellite No.2 orGOMS No.2, is a Russiangeostationaryweather satellite which was launched in 2011. The firstElektro-L spacecraft to fly, it became the first Russian geostationary weather satellite to be launched sinceElektro No.1 in 1994.
Elektro-L No.1 is the first of two Elektro-L satellites that were planned to be launched according to plans at the time (as of November 2025, there are 4 Elektro-L satellites launched, and a planned launch on 15 December 2025). It was manufactured byLavochkin, based on theNavigatorsatellite bus, and had a mass at launch of 1,740 kilograms (3,840 lb).[3] Designed to operate for ten years, the satellite is positioned over theIndian Ocean at alongitude of 76 degrees east.[4]
TheMSU-GS scanner is the primary instrument aboard the spacecraft. It is designed to producevisible light andinfrared images of a full disc of the Earth. It can produce an image every half-hour, with the visible light images having a resolution of one kilometre, and the infrared images having a resolution of four kilometres. The satellite also carriesGGAK-E, aheliophysics payload designed to study radiation from theSun. The satellite will also be used to relay data between Russian weather stations, and will also be used to relay signals as part of theCospas-Sarsat system.[5] It carries seven infrared channels and three visible channels.
The launch of Elektro–L No.1 took place at 12:29 UTC on 20 January 2011. TheZenit-3Fcarrier rocket, used to place the satellite into orbit, was making its maiden flight. The rocket consisted of a two-stageZenit-2SB manufactured by theUkrainianYuzhnoye Design Bureau, and anNPO Lavochkin-manufacturedFregat-SB upper stage.[6][7] The launch was also the maiden flight of the Fregat-SB, which was derived from theFregat, but equipped with additional propellant tanks. The satellite separated from the upper stage at 21:28 UTC.[7] TheRussian Federal Space Agency confirmed the spacecraft was operational the next day.[7]
On July 13, 2016, after the launch of the second Elektro-L satellite, Elektro-L No. 1 began moving from its previous position over the Indian Ocean at 76° East towards a new location at 14.5° West over the Atlantic. To achieve this, the spacecraft was put into an orbit 289 kilometers higher than its previous geostationary orbit. This caused the spacecraft to drift West relative to the Earth at a rate of 2.03° per day. This shift was expected to take 45 days, however on August 24 and August 30, the spacecraft's orbit was lowered to the point where its drift was 0.09° per day. On September 7 that year, a maneuver brought it to a drift of 0.012° per day. Finally on October 3, mission control announced that the craft had come to its position of 14.5° West, and that the transfer had been completed.[1]
