Mission type Communications COSPAR ID 2011-018A Spacecraft type Meridian Inclination 64.39° Period 12 hours Launch site Plesetsk Cosmodrome | Operator VKS (2011)
VKO (2012-) SATCAT no. 37398 Rocket Soyuz-2-1a/Fregat Inclination 64.39° Launch date 4 May 2011 | |
Manufacturer Information Satellite Systems Reshetnev Similar PSSC‑2, Explorer‑1 [Prime], AubieSat‑1, Progress M‑11M, Jugnu | ||
Meridian 4 (Russian: Меридиан-4), also known as Meridian No.14L, is a Russian military communications satellite. It was launched atop a Soyuz-2-1a/Fregat rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in May 2011.
It is the fourth satellite to be launched as part of the Meridian system, which will replace the older Molniya series. It was constructed by ISS Reshetnev and is believed to be based on the Uragan-M satellite bus, which has also been used for GLONASS navigation satellites.
Meridian satellites are launched into highly elliptical Molniya orbits to provide communications coverage of the Northern Hemisphere for the Russian military.
References
Meridian 4 Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA