NEXT SPACEFLIGHT

Status

Success

Foton 6

Launch Time
Wed Apr 11, 1990 16:59 UTC

Rocket

Soyuz U
RVSN USSR
Status: Retired
Price: $20.0 million
Liftoff Thrust: 4,456 kN
Payload to LEO: 6,860 kg
Payload to GTO: 0 kg
Stages: 3
Strap-ons: 4
Rocket Height: 51.32 m
Fairing Diameter: 3.0 m
Fairing Height: 15.59 m

Mission Details

Foton 6

The Foton satellites are built on the basis of the Zenit satellites, themselves derived from the Vostok spacecraft.

Foton has a mass of 7t, can carry 625kg of equipment, and has an operational life in orbit of thirty days. A Bion satellite can be broken down into three parts: the Drop Compartment, the Descent Compartment (SA) and the Instrument Compartment.

Only the SA Compartment is capable of returning to Earth. It contains most of the scientific payload. It is shaped like a sphere 2,3 m in diameter and has two hatches 1,2 m in diameter.

The Instrument Compartment is cylindrical in shape and has a mass of 500kg. It has a diameter of 2m and a length of 50cm. It also contains scientific experiments.

Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 7,200.0 kg
Low Earth Orbit

Location

Site 43/3, Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia

Stats

1990

34th orbital launch attempt

Soyuz U

608th mission
7th mission of 1990
590th successful mission
1st consecutive successful mission