In accordance with the decision of the State Commission, this morning, December 15, 2020, the Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle with the Fregat upper stage and 36 British OneWeb spacecraft on board was rolled out from the technical facility to the Vostochny Cosmodrome launch complex and installed in the launch system. According to the schedule, autonomous tests of the launch vehicle, upper stage and spacecraft systems, as well as general tests are planned.
To carry out further pre-launch work, the mobile service tower was moved to the launchpad. The tower is now the tallest structure of the Vostochny Cosmodrome, being 52 meters high and weighing 1,600 tons. It is used for prelaunch preparation of space rockets of the Soyuz-2 family. On the launch site, the mobile tower moves along two track tracks on four bogies.
The rollout of the launch vehicle was observed by Roscosmos management representatives and its subsidiary Glavkosmos, as well as authorized representatives of foreign companies: Arianespace, Starsem and OneWeb.
On December 18, 2020, a meeting of the State Commission will take place, to clear the Soyuz-2.1b rocket fueling with propellants and launch itself. The launch of the Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with the Fregat upper stage and a batch of 36 spacecraft British OneWeb company is scheduled for December 18, 2020.
