Status
Success
Bion 11
Launch Time
Tue Dec 24, 1996 13:50 UTC
Tue Dec 24, 1996 13:50 UTC
Rocket
Mission Details
Bion 11
The Bion satellites are built on the basis of the Zenit satellites, themselves derived from the Vostok spacecraft.
Bion has a mass of 6t, 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 43/4, Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia
Stats
1996
77th orbital launch attempt
Soyuz U
734th mission
9th mission of 1996
713th successful mission
4th consecutive successful mission