| Mission type | Communication |
|---|---|
| Operator | VKO |
| Mission duration | Failed to orbit |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | ISS Reshetnev |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 23 December 2011, 12:08 (2011-12-23UTC12:08Z) UTC |
| Rocket | Soyuz-2.1b/Fregat |
| Launch site | Plesetsk43/4 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Molniya |
| Perigee altitude | 900 kilometres (560 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 39,000 kilometres (24,000 mi) |
| Inclination | 65 degrees |
| Epoch | Planned |
Meridian 5 (Russian:Меридиан-5), also known asMeridian No.15L, was acommunications satellite launched by theRussian Federal Space Agency which was lost in a launch failure in December 2011. The fifthMeridian spacecraft to be launched, Meridian 5 was to have been deployed into aMolniya orbit with an apogee of 39,000 kilometres (24,000 mi), a perigee of 900 kilometres (560 mi) and 65 degrees oforbital inclination;[1] from which it would have provided communications for the Russian military. It would have been operated by the newly formedRussian Aerospace Defence Forces.
Meridian 5 was launched on aSoyuz-2.1b rocket with aFregat upper stage, fromSite 43/4 at thePlesetsk Cosmodrome.[2] The launch took place at 12:08 UTC on 23 December 2011, with the rocket performing nominally during first and second stage flight. At 288 seconds after launch, theBlok I third stage'sRD-0124 engine ignited to begin its burn.[2] During third stage flight, an anomaly occurred which prevented the rocket from reaching orbit.
An official spokesman stated that the launch had been terminated 421 seconds into flight, by means of the rocket'sthrust termination system. Telemetry recorded byNPO Lavochkin, however, indicated that the rocket had veered off course 425 seconds after launch, with data suggesting that there had been an explosion. Another report indicated that the engine had lost thrust 427 seconds after launch.[2] It was the first orbital launch to be conducted by the Aerospace Defence Forces, which had been formed at the beginning of the month.[3]
Debris from the launch fell over theNovosibirsk Oblast inSiberia, nearOrdynskoye. One piece of debris fell through the roof of a house in Cosmonaut Street in the village ofVagaitsevo.[4] Despite debris falling in residential areas,[5] no injuries were reported.[4]
