Flight sequence:
00s – Launch
+1 min 58s – Boosters seperation
+3 min 50s – Fairing seperation
+4 min 47s – Separation of central core (second stage)
+8 min 49s – Separation of 3rd stage
+10 min 23s – First upper stgae burn
+14 min 29s – First upper stgae burn cut-off
+56 min 45s – Second upper stgae burn
+58 min 36s – Second upper stgae burn cut-off
+1h 03 min 20s – Separation of 2x OneWeb F6 satellites
+1h 19 min 10s – ACS boost ignition
+1h 22 min 30s – Separation of 4x OneWeb F6 satellites
+3h 36 min 35s – Third upper stgae burn (for deorbiting)
+3h 43 min 36s – Third upper stgae burn cut-off
+4h 23 min 17s – EOM (end of mission)
The payload
The Soyuz flight VS21 mission will carry 10 OneWeb F6 satellites. The satellites are the first of a 900-satellite constellation to allow global access to high-speed internet. The 10 OneWeb F6 satellites will be deployed into a low Earth Orbit at an altitude of 1,200 kilometres (745 miles) at an inclination of 87.77 degrees.
The rocket
The Soyuz 2.1b utilised for today’s launch is configured with a Fregat upper stage. The Soyuz rocket is offered exclusively by Arianespace at their South American launch site, the Guiana Space Center. Read More.
The launch site
The Guiana Space Center is located in the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana. Although in South American, French Guiana is considered French soil and, as a result, the launch site is used as Europe’s primary spaceport. Soyuz, Vega and Ariane 5 vehicles are all launched from the facility. Read More.
