On February 5 at 0700 UTC, a Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat launched the Kosmos 2553 satellite from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia.
Kosmos 2553 is a classified satellite for the Russian Ministry of Defense, but they still mentioned a little about its mission. People following the Russian space industry through public sources think this satellite is the first of a new type of radar satellite called Neitron. According to the Russians, it is “equipped with newly developed onboard instruments and systems for testing under the influence of radiation and heavy charged particles.”
This mission makes sense given what orbit it was tracked in. According to the U.S. military, it was inserted into a circular 2,000-kilometer orbit inclined 67 degrees to the equator, which happens to be right in the lower Van Allen radiation belt. The Fregat upper stage was deorbited safely into the ocean on its second orbit.
More Information
Roscosmos press release (Russian)
