Russia launched the first satellite of the Sphere project into orbit

The first satellite of the federal project "Sphere" "Skif-D" was delivered to a given orbit, Roskosmos reports.

The device was launched from the Vostochny 22 cosmodromeOctober 2022. The Skif-D demonstration satellite is designed to test new technical solutions for high-speed Internet access and protect the orbital-frequency resource. During the flight tests of the Skif-D, technologies for providing broadband Internet access services throughout Russia, including the regions of the Far North and the Arctic, will be tested. Thanks to the operation of the Skif spacecraft, satellite Internet will become available in all sparsely populated areas of the country where there are no land lines.

"Skif-D" became the first in historydomestic satellite industry by a spacecraft, which was launched into a medium circular orbit at a height of 8,070 km with a polar inclination of 90°. Its choice is due to the following features. First, the ability to serve northern latitudes that are inaccessible to traditional satellites in geostationary orbit, including the regions of the Far North, the Arctic, the Northern Sea Route and cross-polar air routes. Secondly, the need for a small number of satellites for sustainable service of the territory of Russia. Thirdly, the optimal balance between the height of the orbit, the visibility time of spacecraft for the subscriber and the number of satellites needed to serve Russia,” said Ivan Zimin, chief designer of the Skif-D spacecraft.