New launch campaign started at Baikonur

Following the completion of the launch campaign at Baikonur Cosmodrome, in the course of which European Space Agency’s CryoSat-2 satellite was successfully injected into the target orbit on 8 April 2010, ISC Kosmotras has commenced another two launch campaigns: at Yasny launch base and at Baikonur. The activities at both launch sites will be carried out concurrently.

TanDEM-X satellite was delivered to Baikonur on 12 May 2010. The satellite has been successfully fuelled and at present undergoes preliminary processing. TanDEM-X was built on order of DLR (German Space Agency) by Astrium GmbH, Germany. This program is carried out in the frame of the public-private partnership. Orbiting in a close formation with similar TerraSar-X satellite, which was inserted into orbit on Dnepr launch vehicle in 2007, TanDEM-X is designed to scan the Earth's land surface for Digital Elevation Measurements that will allow generation of a high-quality global Digital Elevation Model.

As in the case of its predecessor, the space head module of extended configuration developed for large sized satellites will be used for TanDEM-X launch.  The spacecraft is scheduled to be launched from Baikonur within last ten days of June, 2010.

Currently, Dnepr LV is installed in the launch silo and undergoes the planned health checks.