Genesis-2 owned by the US Bigelow Aerospace is a second satellite of the Genesis family. Like its predecessor Genesis-1, it was also delivered into the orbit by the SS-18 rocket. The objective of the Genesis program is to demonstrate the inflatable habitat technology in the actual space environment.

This mission was the 10th commercial payload launch of the SS-18 and the 3rd one performed this year. The purpose of the Dnepr Program is conversion of the SS-18 missiles being withdrawn from service into satellite launchers. The program implementation team consists of a number of the Russian and Ukrainian entities including Yuzhnoye State Design Office. ISC Kosmotras is a leader of this industrial team. Dnepr Program operations are under control of the Federal Space Agency of Russia and National Space Agency of the Ukraine.

Genesis-2 mission was launched from the Yasny launch base constructed by ISC Kosmotras and located in the Orenburg Region, Russia. This launch base is used for the SS-18 launches in parallel with Baikonur Cosmodrome located in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Yasny is a new generation space related installation that offers the customers’ launch campaign teams a convenience of having accommodation, work and recreational facilities in a single location. It can be utilized for pre-launch processing of satellites and space head modules of various types of launchers.

The SS-18 rockets are prepared and launched by the personnel of the Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Ministry of Defense. The success of the Genesis-2 launch mission has once again demonstrated high professionalism of the team involved and outstanding reliability of the rocket.

Dombarovskiy is an ICBM base located near Yasny in Orenburg Oblast, Russia. On December 22, 2004, the Russian army conducted from the base a test launch of an R-36M2 to the Kamchatka Peninsula. Currently it is used by launch service provider ISC Kosmotras for commercial launches of Dnepr rockets.

Dnepr launches

• July 12, 2006, Genesis I spacecraft launched for Bigelow Aerospace into a 550 km, 64.5 degree inclination orbit.
• June 28, 2007, Genesis II spacecraft, also launched for Bigelow Aerospace into a near-identical orbit.

Yasny (Russian: Я́сный) is a town in Orenburg Oblast, Russia, located south-east of Orenburg. Population: 18,545 (2002 Census); 26,587 (1989 Census). It was founded in 1961, granted the status of urban-type settlement in 1962, and town status in 1979. The Dombarovskiy Cosmodrome, located near Yasny, is a rocket launch site. Launches from Dombarovskiy include orbital Dnepr launches, for ISC Kosmotras. (Click on image to enlarge)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasny

Today, on June 15, 2007 at 06:14 a.m. Moscow time (02:14 UTC) the German EADS ASTRIUM GmbH TerraSAR-X satellite was successfully launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome into a 514.8 km sun-synchronous orbit aboard a converted SS-18 ICBM commercially known as "Dnepr".

TerraSAR-X is an earth observation satellite that carries an X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) designed to provide high resolution images of the Earth surface. This program is a public-private partnership between the German Space Agency DLR and EADS Astrium GmbH. The mass of the TerraSAR-X is 1346 kg.

It has been the first launch of converted SS-18 rocket that carried an extended space head module designed by Yuzhnoye SDO and manufactured by YuzhMash Plant. ISC Kosmotras will offer this configuration specifically for the launches of large-size satellites of more than 5 meters in length and up to 2.7 m diameter.

"The new space head module capable of accommodating larger payloads was created as a prospective area of the Dnepr program development. Such a configuration makes it possible to upgrade the Dnepr capabilities for orbital injection of large-size satellites", said Vladimir Andreev, ISC Kosmotras Director General, shortly after the launch.

Currently another launch campaign is underway at the Yasny Launch Base, from where the Bigelow Aerospace Genesis-2 satellite is expected to be launched on SS-18 rocket in the near future.

ISC Kosmotras appreciates the contribution of the RF Ministry of Defense, Federal Space Agency of Russia, National Space Agency of Ukraine, and industry teams of Russia and Ukraine to the success of the TerraSAR-X launch mission. - SOURCE

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